Media Release

Abortion Supervisory Committee Report 2008

The Abortion Supervisory Committee’s [ASC] report was tabled in Parliament on  8th December. There were 17,940 abortions reported in New Zealand 2008. Right to Life New Zealand is pleased with the reduction of 440 abortions on the 18,380 abortions performed in New Zealand in 2007. This is good news for our unborn children and their mothers. One of the reasons we believe for the decrease is the increasing recognition in the community that abortion not only destroys an innocent and defenceless unborn child but it is also harmful to the physical and mental health of women.

Right to Life is concerned about the lawfulness of many of the abortions authorised in 2008. The statistics for 2008 reveal that 98% of abortions performed were authorised on the grounds of serious danger to the mental health of the mother, this statistic has been constant since 1977. This conclusion on the unlawfulness of many of these abortions is supported by the judgment of Justice Miller, in the High Court in Wellington, in the judicial review of the Abortion Supervisory Committee.

Justice Miller stated in his judgment that “there is reason to doubt the lawfulness of many abortions authorised by certifying consultants. Indeed the Committee itself has stated that the law is being used more liberally than Parliament intended.”

“In my opinion, the statistics and the committee’s comments since the Court of Appeal made that observation, do give rise to powerful misgivings about the lawfulness of many abortions. They tend to confirm Dr Forster’s view that New Zealand has abortion on request” Dr Christine Forster was previously chairperson of the ASC from June 1993 to August 2001, a period of nearly eight years.

Right to Life believes that many innocent and healthy unborn children have been deprived of their life unlawfully; this is a grave injustice and a violation of their right to life. It also permits the exploitation and abandonment of women. This is the justice issue of our era. It is a tragedy that the Committee’s response is to seek to provide greater access to abortion by supporting the wider use of the killing of unborn children with Mifegyne RU 486. The use of this murder pill imposes an incredible psychological trauma on women and is 98 per cent effective in starving to death a child in its first seven weeks of gestation.    

Right to Life is also concerned at the increase in repeat abortions in 2008. Of the 17,940 abortions performed, 11,312, 63% of the total abortions were a woman’s first abortion. While 6628, 37 % were repeat abortions, an increase of 2% on the total of repeat abortions for 2007. A total of 4,469 women in 2008 were having their second abortion, 1490 were having their third abortion, 461 were having their fourth abortion, 143 their fifth, 40 their sixth and 25 their seventh or more abortion. These statistics are scandalous and indicate that abortion is being used as a back up for failed contraception. The abortion laws do not provide for failed contraception as grounds for abortion. Right to Life asks why is the Committee  not taking action to address this critical problem.

The report reveals that 140 unborn children were killed in 2008 on the grounds that the child had a disability. It is deplorable that only the perfect are permitted to be born. A child does not forfeit its right to life because it has a disability.

The report reveals that 8,041 women were using contraceptives at the time their child was conceived. Of these women, 4898 were using condoms and 2901 were using contraceptives. These statistics show that contraceptives have a high failure rate. It is a tragedy that innocent unborn children should be killed in order to provide so called sexual freedom. The Committee suggested  in its report that because of New Zealand’s high abortion rate in comparison with other countries that we need more long acting contraceptives and that the government should consider reducing financial barriers to their use. If the Committee were serious about reducing our high abortion rate why is it not asking the government to promote abstinence before marriage and adoption in preference to terminating the lives of healthy unborn children in pseudo legal abortions?

The Committee reports that “Over the past year the ASC has become conscious that workforce issues will need to be addressed in coming years to ensure continuity of abortion services in future.” The ASC is aware that there are very few operating doctors in New Zealand under the age of 50. Right to Life commends those doctors who faithful to the Hippocratic traditions of their healing profession have the utmost respect for the right to life of every child from the moment of conception and refuse to have any part in the killing of innocent and defenceless unborn children. Right to Life is opposed to any efforts that it might make to subvert the ethics of good doctors by encouraging doctors to become involved in the killing of unborn children.  

Right to Life believes that a nation that kills its own children does not have a future and earnestly requests that the government promote a culture of life by promoting adoption as a loving life affirming option. This is preferable to life destroying abortion which promotes a culture of death.

ends

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