Media Release 3rd November 2023
Human life begins at conception and every unborn child a human being endowed by its Creator with an inalienable right to life. The child is a unique and unrepeatable miracle of His loving creation. Abortion is intrinsically evil and violates the fifth commandment, “Thou shalt not kill.” We violate this commandment at our peril.
The Director General of Health, Dr Diana Sarfati released her third annual report on 1st November 2023.
A total of 14,164 abortions had been reported in 2022. This was an increase of 907 abortions on the 13,357 abortions reported in 2021.This is a major increase of nearly 7%. Nearly one in five unborn children are killed before they are born. Increasingly the most dangerous place for a New Zealander is in its mother’s womb.
Right to Life believes that the legacy of the Ardern/Hipkins government was the murder of 70,000 unborn children. Right to Life requests that the incoming National led government dedicate itself to promoting a culture of life that will stop the violence against women and their precious unborn. The previous Parliament deluded itself by believing that killing innocent and defenceless children in the sanctuary of their mother’s womb was no longer a crime, it was a health service. Will the new government legislate to recognise the unborn child from conception as a human being endowed by its Creator with an inalienable right to life?
Dr Diana Sarfati, who presides over the abortion industry in New Zealand expressed her pleasure in presenting her third annual report. She was pleased that access and equity to abortion care had increased and that they had succeeded in doubling the workforce from 162 to 348 of those prepared to participate in the killing of the innocent unborn.
Right to Life respectfully asks Dr Sarfati, how can you derive pleasure as a woman and as a mother in reporting on the violent killing of 14,164 unborn New Zealand children and this violence against your fellow women? How can you commend your colleagues who support you in facilitating the killing of the innocent? You have a sacred duty to protect the lives of every member of our community from conception to natural death. Why should we trust you to protect our lives when you refuse to protect the lives of the weakest and most defenceless members of our human family?
New Zealand abolished the death penalty for rapists and murderers in 1961. We have retained capital punishment for the unborn for the crime of being unwanted. This is a violation of human rights and a crime against humanity. The killing of the innocent and defenceless unborn was supported by the Labour government of Jacinda Ardern who was the architect of the extremist Abortion Legislation Act 2020. It also has the support of the National Party, ACT, the Greens and the Maori Party.
The government funded killing of the unborn is also supported by the media and by the silence of the majority of Churches who should be at the forefront in defending the life of God’s precious infants. Why is there a deafening silence?
14,164 abortions were performed in New Zealand in 2022, up from 13,257 in 2021.
There were 1,612 babies killed in Canterbury in 2022, 142 more than the 1,470 killed in 2021
19.% of known pregnancies ended in an abortion in 2021 -2022 year. That is nearly one pregnancy in five ending with abortion.
A third of abortions were repeat abortions.
50.6% of abortions, 7,171 up more than 6% in 2022 were early medical abortions, performed up to 10 weeks gestation. 47.8% of abortions,6,764 were surgical abortions.
Right to Life grieves with those women who have lost their precious child through abortion, they and their child deserved better than abortion. We also grieve with those fathers who were unable to save their child from being killed. Right to Life also commends those courageous women who chose life for their child in 2022.
With the passing of the Abortion Legislation Act 2020, designed by the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern the killing of the unborn has been taken out of the Crimes Act and has been made a health issue. It is no longer a crime to kill an unborn child as the government upholds the legal fiction that the unborn child is not a human being and does not have a right to life until it is born. The government recognises that this fiction is necessary to allow women to kill their children before they are born. The government authorises the killing and provides the funding for the state funded abortion industry which they consider an essential service, with no waiting list and with unlimited funding.
The abortion industry poisons, suctions unborn children from the womb and violently dismembers an estimated 39 unborn children each day. Children may now be killed up to 20 weeks gestation for any reason and up to birth if a doctor considers it “appropriate”.
Right to Life is committed to work with the pro-life movement to work for the repeal of the Abortion Legislation Act 2020 and for legislation that recognises the unborn child as a human being endowed by its Creator with an inalienable right to life.
Ken Orr,
Spokesperson,
Right to Life NZ Inc.