However, they look forward to contributing to what they hoped would be an honest, respectful dialogue that explored the complexities surrounding abortion.

The Bishops hear about abortion from a wide community of Catholic women and men said Cynthia Piper, speaking on behalf of the Bishops Conference.

"They are also informed by the work of Catholic agencies who support the well-being of women and families,"

Piper said, "We will be looking closely at the proposed new law and studying the other proposed changes concerning doctors' freedom of conscience, the ready availability and desirability of counselling for women and the suggestion of safe zones around abortion facilities.

The Bishops issued a press release which makes the following points:

Making abortions easier to get does not address serious underlying issues.

There needs to be a stronger focus on strengthening and extending policies and organisations that support women who are pregnant.

It is an acknowledged fact that, too often, a woman chooses abortion because of poverty, social shaming, lack of community support, coercion from a partner or family or isolation.

Insufficient protection for a defenceless human life

• For society to pretend that there is not another life involved will only deny the woman concerned the chance to deal with her abortion as the significant and heart-wrenching moral issue that it is
• Abortion is both a justice issue and a health issue

The Bishops:

• Strongly support statutory recognition in the present law to the rights of the unborn
• Are concerned that the proposed new law seeks to do away with any ‘tests' for women up to 20 weeks gestation
• Are disquieted that there is only a very vague ‘medical test' for women who are more than 20 weeks pregnant

A disservice to women

• The issues raised by abortion are many and they include both the immediate and long-term psychological, mental and emotional consequences of abortion
• These consequences affect both women and men and impact on their other significant relationships

Source

• Supplied Ko te Huinga Pihopa o te Hahi Katorika o Aotearoa/The New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference (NZCBC)
• Image: righttolife.org

Talking about her life story, Gianna explains that her mother, who was seven months pregnant, undertook to have a late-term abortion. The process involved a saline solution being injected into the mother's uterus, which burns the baby inside and out, so that the mother delivers a dead baby within 24 hours.

In Gianna Jessen's case she said, "I remained in the solution for approximately 18 hours and was delivered alive April 6, 1977 at 6 a.m. in a California abortion clinic."

Today Gianna Jessen is a 35-year old woman and she continues to travel the world sharing her powerful tale.

"There was not much hope for me at first. I weighed only 9 ounces." But "a doctor once told me that I had a great desire to live and that I fought for my life. In the end, I was able to leave the hospital and be put up for adoption." But Gianna is not in good health: "Due to a lack of oxygen supply during the abortion, I live with cerebral palsy."

"They told my foster mother that I would have difficulties ever being able to crawl or walk." But "through prayer and the hard work of my foster mother, and then so many other people, I eventually learned to sit, crawl, and stand".

Gianna was then "legally adopted by my foster mother's daughter, Diana De Paul. A few months later, I began to walk. ... I can now walk without assistance." It is not easy, but Gianna takes it "philosophically," with irony: "Sometimes I fall, but after 19 years, I've learned to fall gracefully".

She has told her story to the US Congress, the UK House of Commons, the Australian Parliament, and dozens of other venues. In 2006 she participated in and completed the London Marathon to help raise awareness of the problem of abortion.

Full story: Vatican Insider