Why does the government protect lizards, but refuses to protect unborn children?
- Philip Creed
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
Media Release 7 January 2026
The Wildlife Act 1953 provide absolute protection for the lives of lizards and their unborn. Right to Life asks: "why then does the government uphold the Abortion Legislation Act 2020, which allows the killing of unborn children effectively for any reason up to birth”?
All native lizards (skinks and geckos) are "absolutely protected" under the Wildlife Act 1953. For an individual, the maximum penalty for hunting or killing protected wildlife is:
A fine of up to $100,000.
A further fine of up to $5,000 for each additional animal killed.
Up to 2 years in prison.
The NZ Transport Agency has spent nearly $400,000 to protect lizards in Canterbury in 2025. Right to Life asks: if the government has money to protect lizards, why do they not have money to protect our precious unborn children?
Right to Life commends the government for providing effective protection for the lives of lizards in New Zealand.
Right to Life believes that the first priority of parliament and the government is to provide effective legal protection for the inalienable right to life of unborn children.
Human life begins at conception. Every unborn child is a unique and unrepeatable miracle of God’s loving creation, who should be accorded the respect and protection due to the human person.
A person can be convicted in a court for killing a lizard or its unborn, fined up to $100,000 and sent to prison.
It is an appalling travesty of justice when the state not only permits the killing of innocent and defenceless unborn children, but also funds the killing, and honours those doctors who are prepared to violate their medical ethics.
Right to Life is appalled that in 2024, Dr Simon Snook was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, the second highest honour, in the New Year’s Honours. Dr Snook is a leading abortionist in New Zealand, who founded Magma Health Care Ltd, the major abortion provider in New Zealand, which provided 5,419 medical abortions in 2024, 30% of all 17,785 abortions, the total number performed that year.
Right to Life requests that the government provide effective protection for our precious unborn children and refrain from honouring abortion providers who kill the innocent.
Ken Orr,
Spokesperson,
Right to Life New Zealand Inc.
