Right to Life fails to pay their legal debts

Right to Life fails to pay their legal debts

An anti-abortion group contesting the legality of Tauranga Family Planning’s abortion licence missed a government-issued deadline last week to pay outstanding court costs from a separate 2012 case.

Christchurch-based group Right to Life New Zealand was ordered by Crown Law to pay their $72,500 debt by Friday July 31, but have received an extension until August 21.

Right to Life spokesperson Ken Orr said the organisation has always intended to pay back what they owe.

“We’ve had the money set aside specifically for the purpose of paying the costs because we knew we were going to enter into a legal process. We had to be prepared to pay the costs whether we agreed with it or not.”

Right to Life unsuccessfully appealed against the Court of Appeal’s decision in 2012 that costs from their case “should lie where they fall.”

Crown Law said in an Official Information Act response that it is “continuing to pursue payment of that amount” but has declined to comment on why an extension was granted.

The costs owed are from a seven-year case against the Abortion Supervisory Committee. The case ended in 2012 with a 3-2 Court of Appeal ruling against Right to Life’s claim that the committee was not adequately reviewing the decisions made by abortion consultants.

Under New Zealand law, a woman seeking an abortion requires authorisation from two certifying consultants.

Right to Life is now challenging the ASC’s granting of an abortion licence to the Tauranga Family Planning clinic based on its lack of surgical facilities.

Tauranga Family Planning is the only clinic in New Zealand to provide medical abortions only. All other clinics offer surgical abortion, or both surgical and medical options.

Abortion Law Reform New Zealand president Terry Bellamak said it would be immoral to shut the courthouse door on litigants who fell behind with court costs, but that due process helps litigants whose claims are “less legitimate”.

Bellamak said both Right to Life’s past and current legal action exploited New Zealand’s outdated abortion laws.

“The government’s failure to recover what is owed three years after the end of Right to Life’s case certainly doesn’t help discourage them.”

ENDS

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