Right To Life New Zealand welcomes the decision of the Minister of Justice to withdraw the Government's promised review to consider widening the grounds of abortion. This is a victory for women and and unborn children. His intention was to seek an amendment to the law to permit abortions to be authorised on socio-economic grounds.

The Royal Commission on Contraception Sterilisation and Abortion in its report to Parliament was totally opposed to this concept. We don't eliminate poverty by killing children of the poor. It is illegal to authorise an abortion on socio-economic grounds. It is widely accepted that the 98% of abortions authorised on the grounds that the continuation of the pregnancy presents a serious danger to the mental health of the mother are authorised for socio-economic reasons masquerading as psychiatric. Right To Life has documentary evidence that an abortion was authorised on the grounds that the pregnancy was interfering with a planned overseas holiday. The abortion was authorised on mental health grounds.

The Abortion Supervisory Committee acknowledge that we have abortion on demand in New Zealand. This is in total violation of the Crimes Act Section 187a. We thus have a regime of illegal abortions operating in New Zealand. Why does the Government allow this violation of the law to continue? The Government has a statutory duty to provide effective legal protection for unborn New Zealanders-the weakest and most defenseless members of our human family.

The Minister of Justice has his name on the Crimes Act and the Contraception Sterilisation and Abortion Act. He is responsible for ensuring that the legislation is complied with. When are New Zealand unborn children going to receive justice and protection for their inalienable human right to life?

We call upon the Minister of Justice to conduct an honest review of the law on abortion with the objective of stopping abortion on demand and ensuring that the right to life of unborn New Zealanders is fully protected. The Minister cannot abdicate his responsibility by leaving this important justice and human rights issue to the conscience of individual MPs. Children are our nations greatest resource. In destroying our children we are destroying our future.

Peter Coleman Committee for Right To Life
Ken Orr Vice-President Right To Life

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