Parliament Wednesday evening passed the Labour-led government’s Abortion Legislation Bill by 68 to 51.
It represents an attack on the family, on the status and dignity of women and on the right to life of New Zealanders in the first nine months of life.
Our right to life is universal and inalienable.
The denial of the right to life of the unborn is an attack on the right to life of every member of our human family.
If today Parliament can deny the right to life of the unborn it will inevitably deny our right to life when we cease to be of value to the State.
By taking women and the unborn out of the protection of the Crimes Act, this Act for the first time in the history of New Zealand has given permission for the violent killing of the unborn up to birth.
This appalling Act has created a very dangerous precedent.
It was prophesied by the Royal Commission on Contraception Sterilisation and Abortion in 1977, when it warned Parliament, that if Parliament did not effectively protect the right to life of the unborn, a future Parliament would refuse to protect the right to life of those with Dementia and Alzheimer’s.
The Act achieves the following outcomes:-
- It withdraws the protection of the State to protect women and their unborn child.
- It denies the humanity of the unborn child.
- It denies the child’s inalienable God-given right to life.
- It grants property rights to the mother over her child.
- It declares that it is no longer a crime to kill an unborn child.
- It grants the “right” of the mother to terminate the life of her child,
- It pretends that the killing of a defenceless unborn child is health care.
- It violates the conscience rights of doctors not to be involved in the killing of their unborn patients.
- It violates the right of free speech and assembly of those who seek to offer help to women seeking an abortion or to pray within 150 metres of a killing centre.
The Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, the architect of this Act must accept responsibility for the violence that this Act will inflict on women.
Right to Life willingly concedes that she and her colleagues are motivated by the noblest of aspirations in doing what is best for women.
Sadly she and her colleagues are sadly mistaken.
We do not help women by empowering them to kill their children before they are born.
The mark of a civilised society is the loving protection that they surround their women and children with to shield them from violence. This Act will expose women to increased coercion and violence to terminate the life of their child.
Right to Life commends the MPs who voted to defeat this Act at its third reading.
The pro-life movement will not rest until this draconian anti-life Act is repealed.
- Ken Orr is Spokesperson for Right to Life
- Image: Supplied