Are church ministers selective in their defence of human rights?

Media Release 17 September 2025

Right to Life commends the five Anglican ministers and a Catholic priest for seeking to protect human rights. On 15 September 2025, they were protesting outside the electoral office of Hon. Nicola Willis M.P., in defence of the human rights of Palestinians, by standing there chained together for 32 hours.

Right to Life asks: When will they protest to the government at the mass killing in New Zealand of God’s precious infants in the womb, in violation of the fifth commandment of God, “Thou shalt not kill”, the killing sanctioned and funded by the government as a “health service”?

Right to Life believes that it would be inconsistent for these ministers to be concerned about the alleged starvation and violation of the human rights of Palestinians in Gaza by Israel, and to not be concerned about defending the right to life of unborn children in New Zealand.

Why are they apparently silent at the killing of 17,123 unborn children, including the starvation of more than 11,000 unborn New Zealanders, by early medical abortions in 2024? This is a crime against humanity.

Five Anglican ministers and a Catholic priest chained themselves together at the Wellington electoral office of Hon. Nicola Willis M.P., in defence of the human rights of Palestinian people in Gaza. They have requested that the government sanction the state of Israel, call for a unilateral ceasefire in Gaza, recognise the Palestinian claim to statehood, protest the alleged starvation by Israel of the occupants of Gaza, and demand that Israel allows more foreign aid into Gaza, which they allege is being prevented by Israel.

One of the protestors, Wellington Anglican Archdeacon Martin Robinson stated “As priests we believe every child is made in the image of God.” Right to Life agrees and believes that every unborn child is a unique and unrepeatable miracle of God’s loving creation, who is endowed at conception with human rights, the foundation right being an inalienable right to life.

Right to Life asks why many of our churches are silent on this matter, when they should be at the forefront in defending the right to life of every member of the community, from conception to natural death. Defending the life of the unborn, and their mothers from the violence of abortion is the defining justice issue of our era.

Ken Orr,

Spokesperson,

Right to Life New Zealand Inc.