12 December 2023.
Hon Dr.Shane Reti MP,
Minister of Health,
Parliament Building,
Wellington.
Dear Minister,
I wish to express concern at information included in the Abortion Clinical Guidelines 2020. The Guidelines state:-
That prior to the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi there was no stigma associated with the killing of unborn children which was an accepted part of Maori culture.
That colonisation from 1840 undermined Maori culture and curtailed abortion as being contrary to the teaching of Christianity and the fifth commandment, ”Thou shalt not kill”.
That for more than 200 years the teaching of Christianity had imposed on Maori shame and stigma associated with abortion.
I wish to challenge these Guidelines as misrepresenting Maori culture on abortion. There is no word in the Maori language for abortion and this reflects the attitudes of all Maoris to abortion. My understanding is that Maori respected the unborn child from conception and recognised the child’s right to life.
I believe that abortion is violence against women and their precious unborn children. These guidelines are misleading and are not conducive to promoting good health for Maori women and their unborn children.
I am concerned that Abortion statistics for 2022 reveal that the number of Maori women who had an abortion in 2022 was 3,629, an increase of 477 on the 3,152 abortions reported in 2021.
The Ministry of Health is committed to equitable abortion outcomes for Maori women, however I am concerned that the Ministry is seeking to encourage Maori women to accept abortion as a normal and acceptable part of Maori culture.
I would be grateful if you would consider my submission in the interest of Maori women and their unborn and have the following guidelines withdrawn.
Appendix A: Abortion and Māori
Historical context
Before the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840, Māori people initiated safe and effective abortions within their whānau and hapū. A review of early oral compositions and narratives compiled by Māori and in te reo Māori confirms that Māori had extensive knowledge of initiating abortions, a detailed vocabulary to describe fetal maturation and fetal tissue, practices for the provision of pre- and post-abortion care, specific karakia and a catalogue of plant-based and other abortifacients (rongoā) for the abortion process. No stigma was associated with an abortion that was initiated;
simply, it was understood by all that Māori had tino rangatiratanga or the selfdetermining right over their bodies to initiate an abortion (Gabel2021).
After 1840, the colonising process put an end to the self-determining right of Māori to control their reproductive health and initiate an abortion. As a consequence, whānau, hapū and iwi knowledges about initiating abortions were subjugated. Māori have been deprived of these knowledges for more than 200 years.
By 2020, the shame and stigma associated with abortion had become entrenched in Māori communities. However, fragments of older, pre-colonial hapū and iwi knowledges about abortion are somewhat protected by the fact of being recorded in te reo Māori, stored in sound and written archives and maintained as part of the traditional oral compositions of various hapū and iwi.The Abortion Legislation Act 2020, in combination with the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, provides whānau, hapū and iwi with the opportunity to revitalise their older knowledges and practices for abortion. The intention is for Māori, in the context of abortion, to enact their rangatiratanga or self-determining rights and mana motuhake or autonomy over their bodies and their reproductive health and wellbeing.
Yours sincerely,
Ken Orr,
Secretary,
Right to Life
Response from the Minister of Wed 7 February
Kia ora Ken
On behalf of Hon Dr Shane Reti, Minister of Health, thank you for your email of 12 December 2023. We apologise for the delay in responding to you.
The Minister has noted your concerns and has asked the Ministry of Health (Manatū Hauora) to respond to you directly about the issues you have raised. Please be assured that you will receive a formal response in due course.
Ngā mihi
Office of Hon Dr Shane Reti
Minister of Health
Minister for Pacific Peoples
Email: S.Reti@ministers.govt.nz
Private Bag 18041, Parliament Buildings, Wellington 6160, New Zealand