Voice For Life Marks New Zealand's Abortion Rate

The 30th anniversary of the Contraception, Sterilisation and Abortion Act (CS&A Act) has been marked by a gathering of approximately 60 members of Voice For Life outside Parliament today.

Voice For Life outside Parliament

A series of posters recorded the number of abortions per year, for each of the 30 years since the Act became law. These posters were held aloft, some by young people whose year of birth corresponded to the year on the poster.

In 1977 when the legislation was passed, the CS&A Act promised to regulate and reconcile the divisive issue of abortion which existed at that time. The Act provided for the circumstances and procedures under which abortions may be authorized: but only, "after having full regard for the rights of the unborn child."

Whatever the good intentions of this legislation, the Abortion Supervisory Committee later acknowledged that abortion is available on demand.

In marking this 30th anniversary, Voice For Life draws attention to the 373,965 unborn who have lost their lives to abortion since the law was enacted. This number equates to the combined populations of Whangarei, Gisborne, New Plymouth, Wanganui, Palmerston North, Nelson, Greymouth, Hokitika, Ashburton and Timaru.

In 1978, 2,094 abortions were recorded in New Zealand. Thirty years later, the figures have soared to 17,934 - a rate of one every 30 minutes. New Zealand arguably has the highest rate of abortion amongst the OECD countries, with two pregnancies in every nine ending in abortion. Approximately one third of abortions are performed on women who have already had at least one previous abortion.

In marking this anniversary, Voice For Life seeks to highlight the failure of the medical profession to honour the intention of the law, which was to protect the unborn child and to permit those rare cases when the crime of killing an unborn child might be excused.

"At the current rate of one every 30 minutes, abortion in New Zealand cannot be described as 'safe, legal and rare'. We believe there are practical alternatives and support for anyone contemplating abortion," said Mrs Annetta Moran, President of Voice For Life, as she addressed the gathering in Wellington today.

ENDS

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