Congratulations Mr Bouchier for your courage in standing up for the life of an unborn child

The Kiwi Party Press Release January 31, 2011

Kiwi Party deputy leader Simonne Dyer congratulates lawyer, Tony Bouchier, for his principled stand for the welfare of an unborn child in not seeking bail for its 6 month pregnant drug addict mother. "It is very encouraging to hear of a lawyer who recognises the personhood of the unborn child and is prepared to protect its life in this way, and also protecting the mother from further drug involvement while being detained under the Alclholism and Drug Addiction Act", continued Dyer.

"New Zealand has a very poor record in its consideration of the life of the unborn child with the highest rate of abortion of any developed Western country - 287 abortions per 1,000 live births as opposed to 246 in the USA and 21/2 times greater than the rate in Germany and the Netherlands. Our abortion laws have not been changed since they were enacted more than 30 years ago and the Kiwi Party is calling for a new strategy to protect the lives of both mothers and their unborn children. "We want to see", said Dyer, "the introduction of professional counseling prior to a decision being made to proceed or otherwise with an abortion, including ultra sound imaging. Added to this we recommend the woman's own doctor certify that such counseling has taken place and that the woman is making the decision of her own free will before submitting the case to the certifying consultants. This 'cooling off period' added to ultra sound imaging plus information of the benefits guaranteed by law has caused the abortion rate to decline in many countries.

"Gordon Copeland, while in Parliament 2002-2008, drafted an Abortion (Informed Consent) Bill and submitted it to the ballot for Member's Bills but it was not drawn. The Kiwi Party with Copeland as its President has adopted this Bill and will make it an important issue should it be elected to Parliament. With New Zealand studies showing an increased level of mental distress among women who have undergone abortion and the projected figure of 10,000 lives saved per year if our abortion rate were to match that of Germany and the Nethlands, I believe the adoption of the Abortion (Informed Consent) Bill will greaty benefit the lives of countless mothers and their children and of course our nation of New Zealand.

"Following on the interview with Mr Bouchier on Close Up tonight I call upon the Government to introduce legislation to protect the unborn". concluded Dyer

ENDS

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