12 March 2009
Media Release.

Family Planning Seeks Licence to Kill Unborn Children

Right to Life is opposed to Family Planning being granted a licence to terminate the lives of unborn children. The Association’s pursuit of a licence to kill unborn children is bad news for the unborn and bad news for women. The Association is promoting a culture of death. it should be seen as a peddler of death.

The Family Planning Association plans to provide medical abortions from its 30 branches in New Zealand. It is fortunate for women and their unborn children that the Association does not appear to meet the legal requirements to perform abortions. Abortions may be performed only in licenced premises. The Contraception Sterilisation and Abortion Act, 1977, section 20. Applications for Licences- states that applications may only be made by a hospital. The Association at this time does not have a hospital.

Right to Life has engaged Queens Counsel. In the event that the Abortion Supervisory Committee issues an abortion licence to the New Zealand Family Planning Association, it is the intention of this Society to consider initiating proceedings in the High Court in Wellington to stop the issuing of a licence.

Right to Life believes that the Family Planning Association is strongly pro-abortion and unsuitable to be granted a licence to terminate the lives of unborn children. The Association is the major abortion referral agency in New Zealand; it supports girls under the age of 16 being able to have an abortion without the knowledge or consent of parents. and has an employment policy to employ only doctors who believe that abortion is for a woman to make in consultation with a doctor of their choice. This is abortion on demand which is unlawful in New Zealand. In the event of the Association being granted a licence to perform abortions, our Society would have serious concerns about the lawfulness of these abortions. Justice Miller in the Judicial Review of the performance of the Abortion Supervisory Committee, stated in his judgment in June 2008, that “there is reason to doubt the lawfulness of many abortions authorised by certifying consultants.”

Many doctors employed by Family Planning are certifying consultants.

The Association is an ardent advocate for the decriminalisation of abortion in New Zealand. The Association believes that unborn children are not endowed with inalienable human rights. The killing of an unborn child is not a crime and that abortion should be a health matter for a woman to choose. The Association is a vocal advocate of a “woman’s right to choose” There is no such right; a mother does not have a right to kill her own child. Nobody has a right to kill another person.

Mifegyne, RU486 is a controversial, dangerous and lethal drug. It is 98 per cent effective in killing unborn children up to 9 weeks gestation. It is also dangerous for women’s health. There have been 12 reported deaths in the United States of women resulting from the use of Mifegyne. There have also been over 1200 complications resulting from the use of this dangerous drug, many of the complications were life threatening. The long term effects on women’s health are unknown as trials have not been conducted.

The Family Planning Association claims in its media release that ‘safe and accessible abortion services are an integral part of good reproductive health.” They are not, the authentic care of vulnerable women and their unborn requires compassionate care and help that respects the life of the unborn child and protects the wellbeing and physical and mental health of the mother.

ENDS

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