Promoting a culture of life - October!

Media Release 19 October 2025

The New Zealand Catholic Bishop’s Conference have adopted the theme for Respect for life for October 2025, “pilgrims of hope . Building a culture of love and life.”

October is observed by the Catholic Church as Respect Life month, a time for reflection on the dignity of human life from conception to natural death. During this month, the church encourages activities which celebrate, defend, and cherish life, such as prayer, education, and community support for those who need assistance. The first Sunday of October also marks Respect Life Sunday.

Right to Life supports the NZ Bishops in promoting respect for life. In August 2025, Right to Life wrote to the NZ Catholic Bishop’s Conference and asked that they consider writing an open letter to the government requesting:-

• That the government repeal the Abortion Legislation Act 2020.

• Government legislates to amend the Crimes Act 1961, to recognise that human life begins at conception, and that the unborn child is a human being from conception endowed by its Creator with an inalienable right to life.

• That the government cease funding the killing of God’s precious infants with taxpayers’ funds.

• That the government repeal the End of Life Choice Act 2019.

• That the government cease funding the killing of the vulnerable with euthanasia and “assisted dying”.

• That the government fully fund hospices for the dying in New Zealand.

The month of October is dedicated to promoting respect for every human life from conception to natural death.

Every human being is Created by God in His image and likeness, and endowed at conception by our Creator with human rights, the foundation right being an inalienable right to life. Every soul is a unique and unrepeatable miracle of God’s loving creation.

Today our right to life is increasingly challenged by our government. In 2020 the NZ Parliament passed the Abortion Legislation Act, which denies the humanity and the right to life of our precious unborn children, who are the weakest and most defenceless members of our human family.

Babies may be killed by abortion for any reason up to 20 weeks gestation and up to birth, if a doctor considers it “appropriate”. It is no longer a crime to kill a child in the womb, abortion is no longer a justice issue, but a “health issue”. Every woman now has the right to kill her children before they are born. This is a grave offence against our Creator and a violation of the fifth Commandment “Thou shalt not kill”. It is also an appalling violation of human rights and a crime against humanity.

In 2019, the New Zealand Parliament passed the contentious End of Life Choice Act, which was subject to a national referendum in November 2020. It was voted into law, and came into force on 7 November 2021. Up to 30 June 2025, there have been 1,307 vulnerable patients killed with a lethal injection or assisted in suicide under the new law.

It was the American Catholic Bishop’s Conference who instituted October as respect life month in 1973, to pray for the United States Supreme Court, which had passed the notorious Roe v. Wade decision, [since repealed] which unleased abortion on demand in the United States.

Right to Life is committed to building a culture of life and love, where the right to life of every human being is respected and protected from conception to natural death, we invite the community to support us.

Ken Orr,

Spokesperson,

Right to Life New Zealand Inc.