Dear Sir,
I wish to lodge a complaint against the Ministry of Health for declining to provide our Society with the information requested in our Official Information Act request of 26 January 2023. The relevant correspondence is attached. Our request was.
“The names of the pharmacists who indicated to your Ministry that they are prepared to dispense mifepristone and misoprostol for the purpose of killing an unborn child in a medical abortion.”
The Ministry declined our request in its response of 2 February 2023, under the following sections of the Act:-
9[2][a]to protect the privacy of the natural persons; and
9[2][g][II] to maintain the effective conduct of public affairs through the protection of employees from improper pressure or harassment.
Right to Life questions the need to withhold the names of the pharmacists in question on the grounds that it is necessary to protect their privacy.
Right to Life believes that these pharmacists that are prepared to dispense the lethal drugs mifepristone and misoprostol for the purpose of killing an unborn child in a medical abortion are in breach of the Pharmacy code of ethics, Principle 1. “Make the health and well-being of the patient your first priority.” The unborn child is a patient and dispensing these lethal drugs to kill this tiny patient is in violation of the pharmacists duty to give priority to protect the health and wellbeing of his patient.
In 2021, there were 5,780 early medical abortions reported in New Zealand. These unborn children were of a gestation of up to ten weeks and were killed by poisoning with the drugs mifepristone and misoprostol dispensed by pharmacists who have now become abortion providers.
Right to Life believes that the community have a right to expect that pharmacists uphold the ethics of their profession to not dispense lethal drugs to kill another innocent human being.
Right to Life believes that it would be in the interest of the pharmaceutical profession and the community for the Society to write a respectful letter to the pharmacists on the list requesting that they protect the lives of their unborn patients by refusing to dispense drugs intended to kill them.
Yours sincerely,
Ken Orr,
Secretary,
Right to Life
Complaint to Obudsman re MOH OIA reply
16 February 2023.
Ombudsman,
Office of the Ombudsman,
PO Box 10 152,
Wellington 6143.
Dear Sir,
I wish to lodge a complaint against the Ministry of Health for questioning my good faith in submitting the following question on 26 January 2023, under the Official Information Act.
“The names of the pharmacists who have indicated to your Ministry that they are prepared to dispense mifepristone and misoprostol for the purpose of killing an unborn child in a medical abortion.”
The Ministry suggests that my requests could be considered frivolous or vexatious and that the language and tone of my requests lead them to believe that my good faith is in question.
The Ministry claims that the wording “killing an unborn child in “ adds no value or context to the information being requested. It also claims that this wording indicates hostility towards pharmacists who dispense mifepristone and misoprostol, that is incorrect, I bear no hostility to pharmacists, however, I am opposed to them facilitating the killing of defenceless unborn children who are the weakest and most defenceless members of our human family. With respect, I disagree, it is a poignant reminder that the reason for these lethal drugs is to kill a defenceless and innocent human being. I do not apologise for being a voice for the voiceless and their mothers.
I contend that this is an issue of free speech and that questioning my language and tone in drafting questions under the Official Information Act breaches my right to free speech.
It is an indisputable scientific fact that these lethal drugs are used to kill an unborn child in its first ten weeks of life. In 2021, there were 5,780 early medical abortions reported in New Zealand. These unborn children were of a gestation of up to ten weeks and were killed by poisoning with the drugs mifepristone and misoprostol,dispensed by pharmacists who have now become abortion providers.
In my capacity as secretary of Right to Life I have been making Official Information Act requests since 1992. The questioning of my good faith is unprecedented.
I am pleased to confirm that I appreciate the long standing cooperation of the Ministry’s staff in providing information.
Right to Life is a whole of life pro-life organisation committed to seeking effective legal protection for the right to life of every human being from conception to natural death. We are opposed to the killing of unborn children, infanticide, assisted suicide and euthanasia.
In conclusion I hope that you will uphold my right to free speech.
Yours sincerely,
Ken Orr,
Secretary,
Right to Life.