8 April 2007

Embracing a Culture of Death

The recent Parliamentary Health Select Committee report on Youth Sexual Health is a cause for concern. The Committee’s report includes 20 recommendations. They include recommendations for more free condoms, more comprehensive school sex education and increased access to abortion. These recommendations promote a culture of death.

The report was predictably enthusiastically welcomed by the New Zealand Family Planning Association [FPA]. For more than 30 years the government has given millions of dollars of taxpayers’ funds to the FPA, to produce and deliver sexual and reproductive services to New Zealanders. What have they delivered? New Zealand has the second highest rate of teen pregnancy in the OECD. We also have an alarming and escalating epidemic in Chlamydia, which can cause infertility, Gonorrhoea and other STDs.

The truth is condoms do not stop infection from STDs. Condoms and contraceptives do not always prevent pregnancies. The Abortion Supervisory Committee in its report to Parliament in 2006 reported that 7,755 of the 15,531 women who had an abortion in 2005 had been using a condom or contraceptive at the time of conception.

The government’s “safe sex” with condoms message is a scandalous and complete failure; it is actually fuelling the epidemic. How safe are they? According to several American studies there is a 60% risk of being infected with Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea, Herpes and Genital Warts, even if a condom is used correctly. The World Health Bulletin, June 04 states “No published prospective study has found protection against genital human papillomavirus [cervical cancer / warts /HPV] infection.”
Dr Christine Roke of Family Planning on radio in June 05 conceded that these statistics were correct. Dr Roke also conceded that the Hubba TV adverts “may not be accurate enough.” She concluded by adding that “abstinence was the best protection.”
Condoms are promoted by the Ministry of Health as an effective means to prevent pregnancy and the spread of disease. It is deplorable that the very Ministry that is charged with promoting public health is actually undermining public health by promoting the false and dangerous “safe sex “message.

There is a solution to New Zealand’s disturbing teenage pregnancy, abortion and STD rates. The solution as found in the United States is the teaching of abstinence before marriage. We owe it to our children to tell them the truith that the only safe sex is abstinence. The government should disregard this select committee report, cease promoting its false and dangerous “safe sex “ message, cease funding the FPA and promote a culture of life by introducing abstinence programmes in our schools.

Ken Orr
Spokesperson
Right to Life New Zealand Inc

ENDS

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