Media Release 5 June 2018.

The honouring of Catherine Healy with Knighthood offensive to women

Right to Life believes that the honouring of Catherine Healy, National co-ordinator of the NZ Prostitutes Collective with a knighthood, “for services to the rights of sex workers”, is deeply offensive to the women of New Zealand.

The award was made by Her Majesty the Queen on the recommendation of the Cabinet Appointments and Honours Committee chaired by the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. The Right Hon Winston Peters also sits on this Committee.

Right to Life asks the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern how she is promoting the dignity and equality of women by honouring the woman who assisted in drafting the Prostitution Reform Act, which has inflicted violence, degradation and exploitation on women?

It is making a public statement that our women are for sale and signifies that the government approves and supports young women selling their bodies to men to be sexually assaulted for their sexual satisfaction; this is slavery. It supports men living off the earnings of prostitutes and women prostituting themselves on the streets. It supports paid sexual attacks on women as work. There have been at least four young women prostitutes brutally murdered since the passing of the infamous Prostitution Reform Act in 2003. Prostitution and abortion both come from a culture of death, they both inflict violence on innocent women. Women deserve to be respected as the bearers of new life and the mothers of the next generation.

How many women must be murdered before Parliament repeals this appalling Act?

These murders are the ultimate violence inflicted on vulnerable and defenceless young women. We do not hear of most of the rapes and beatings that these young women endure.

New Zealand, to our great shame, is allowing the trafficking and slavery of women in prostitution. Prostitution is a violation of human rights and violence against women. Many women are in prostitution not out of choice but through enslavement to drug and alcohol addiction. The infamous Prostitution Reform Act 2003 was passed under a Labour government that forced its caucus to vote for the bill. It passed to our great shame, by a margin of 60 to 59.

This Act permits women over the age of 18 to be prostitutes; it allows for street prostitution. It allows for pimps to live off the earnings of prostitution. It dignifies prostitution as sex work, not only work, but a worthy career choice. Prostitutes .are now called sex workers, social engineering which seeks to place prostitution on a par with workers in other activities.

Right to Life believes that there will be no justice for women in New Zealand until we repeal the Prostitution Reform Act and proclaim that our women are not for sale.

It is shameful that the Prostitution Reform Act has the support of the World Health Organisation, the Family Planning Association, the National Council of Women the YWCA and Amnesty International. These organisations claim to support the interests of women. In supporting this Act they have totally betrayed the women of New Zealand and are making a public statement that our women are chattels, up for sale.

Ken Orr

Spokesperson,

Right to Life.

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