NZ Catholic bishops deeply disappointed at abortion law�s disregard for rights of unborn
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The New Zealand Catholic Bishops are deeply disappointed with the Abortion Legislation Bill passed by Parliament last night by 68 votes to 51.
�This Bill totally ignores the fact that there are always at least two human lives involved in every pregnancy,� said a spokesperson for the NZ Catholic Bishops Conference, Ms Cynthia Piper.
�There is no longer any recognition of the rights of the unborn child in this new law,� said Ms Piper, a lecturer for the Church�s Te Kupenga - Catholic Leadership Institute, speaking on behalf of New Zealand�s Catholic bishops.
�That is a travesty of human rights. To hold that the fetus is not a legal person ignores the reality that a genetically unique human life has begun which is neither that of the mother or the father. That the law fails to recognise this does not change what is a biological and human fact.�
The Bishops Conference also believes the new law will fail many women
�Those of us who have experience of supporting women with so-called unwanted pregnancies, or women who have had abortions, know only too well the coercive realities that drive many women to have an abortion that they later regret,� said Ms Piper.
�That is why we have argued consistently that it is in women�s best interests that the legal pathway to an abortion needs to be robust. This law does nothing to help those women who, for a variety of reasons, choose an abortion because they feel they have no other choice, whether that is because of partner pressure or for economic or social reasons.
�Neither does this law do anything to reduce the overall number of abortions, something that a majority of New Zealanders have consistently said they want. It has been rushed through and is ill-considered in so many ways.�
Furthermore, the bishops are absolutely dismayed that MPs voted down a host of sensible amendments that would have made the new legislation much more compassionate, said Ms Piper. �These included amendments that would have required babies born alive to be cared for like any other child, a ban on sex selection abortions and a ban on disability discrimination abortions.�
The New Zealand Catholic Bishops are deeply disappointed with the Abortion Legislation Bill passed by Parliament last night by 68 votes to 51.
�This Bill totally ignores the fact that there are always at least two human lives involved in every pregnancy,� said a spokesperson for the NZ Catholic Bishops Conference, Ms Cynthia Piper.
�There is no longer any recognition of the rights of the unborn child in this new law,� said Ms Piper, a lecturer for the Church�s Te Kupenga - Catholic Leadership Institute, speaking on behalf of New Zealand�s Catholic bishops.
�That is a travesty of human rights. To hold that the fetus is not a legal person ignores the reality that a genetically unique human life has begun which is neither that of the mother or the father. That the law fails to recognise this does not change what is a biological and human fact.�
The Bishops Conference also believes the new law will fail many women
�Those of us who have experience of supporting women with so-called unwanted pregnancies, or women who have had abortions, know only too well the coercive realities that drive many women to have an abortion that they later regret,� said Ms Piper.
�That is why we have argued consistently that it is in women�s best interests that the legal pathway to an abortion needs to be robust. This law does nothing to help those women who, for a variety of reasons, choose an abortion because they feel they have no other choice, whether that is because of partner pressure or for economic or social reasons.
�Neither does this law do anything to reduce the overall number of abortions, something that a majority of New Zealanders have consistently said they want. It has been rushed through and is ill-considered in so many ways.�
Furthermore, the bishops are absolutely dismayed that MPs voted down a host of sensible amendments that would have made the new legislation much more compassionate, said Ms Piper. �These included amendments that would have required babies born alive to be cared for like any other child, a ban on sex selection abortions and a ban on disability discrimination abortions.�