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Footprints MagazineMarch 2004AUDITOR-GENERAL TO INVESTIGATE RIGHT TO LIFE'S COMPLAINT OF DOUBLE DIPPING Right
to Life has been pursuing
the important issue of alleged double dipping by certifying consultants
in correspondence with the Ministers of Health and Courts since November
2002. The Office of the
Controller and Auditor-General
advised Right to Life on 2 March 2004 that it was considering the issues
raised in our complaint of 24 February 2004. Right to Life's complaint
was that the payment of fees by the Justice Department to certifying
consultants employed by District Health Boards (DHBs) was double-dipping
and a misuse of the public purse. There
is a two tier system of fees: a fee of $87.50 is paid to a certifying
consultant when an interview
with the woman takes place; in other circumstances, where the woman is
not interviewed, a fee of $35 is paid. This fee of $35 is appropriate
when the second certifying consultant is consulted by the first
certifying consultant by phone or in person and the woman is not
interviewed. For many of the 211 certifying consultants in New Zealand
it is believed that money is the motivating force behind their career
choice. There is big money involved in fees. The
Abortion Supervisory Committee (ASC) reported to Parliament in 2003 that
fees paid to consultants for the year ended 30 June 2003 were expected
to total $3 521 499 (GST inclusive). In 2002 four consultants received
over $100 000 in fees, the highest being $158 720.63. On
16 February the Minister of Health wrote to Right to Life. She continues
to maintain, “that the fee is for determining whether or not to
authorise an abortion.” She refuses to acknowledge that the higher fee
of $87.50 is to reimburse the consultant for his time, which is also
being paid for by the DHB. Why
should these doctors get paid twice? There is no other group of
clinicians in the public health service who in addition to their salary
receive fees. The
Minister advised that the Waikato DHB have doctors under contract to
perform the majority of their abortions.
The contract price was negotiated, taking into account the Ministry of
Justice fees. This is highly significant: the contract clearly has
the approval of the Minister. The contract recognises that doctors
should not be paid twice and is obviously acceptable to the consultant.
The Minister suggests that any further queries on this issue should be
directed to the relevant DHB. The Government and the Minister have a
serious duty to protect the public purse. Right to Life believes the
Minister has the authority to direct DHBs to implement the
recommendation of Right to Life and require where appropriate that
consultants employed by DHBs refund their fees to the Board. It
is the opinion of Right to Life that the Minister has abdicated her
responsibility. Right to Life is a public pro-life watchdog; it should
not be our responsibility to write to the 21 DHBs in New Zealand to
protect the public purse. Our society however has written to the
Auckland, Capital Coast, Waikato, Canterbury, and Otago DHBs to lay a
complaint regarding double-dipping and requesting that the fees be
repaid to the Board by their employed consultants. The
ASC, aware that consultants could not be retained or recruited because
of the low financial return, asked the Minister of Courts in April 2002
to increase the fees hopefully be 100%. The great majority of abortions
are authorised by certifying consultants employed by DHBs. Right
to Life, in following the money trail, is aware that if we succeed in
stopping this double-dipping we may also succeed in stopping any further
increase in this highly contentious fee and ultimately have the fee
stopped. Right
to Life is confident that it will become increasingly difficult to
recruit doctors who are prepared to participate in the killing of
innocent unborn children. Please pray that this important campaign will
succeed in saving many lives. ACTION:
Members and
readers are
encouraged to write to the Chief Executive Officer of their District
Health Board requesting that they require abortion certifying
consultants employed by the Board to refund fees to the Board. Message
from the President Dear
Members, As
the President of Right to Life I am privileged to serve you by working
with your executive to uphold the aims and objectives of this society to
which we all belong. That is to uphold and seek effective legal
protection for the right to life of every human being from conception to
natural death. Our lives are a gift from God and he has bestowed on us
the privilege and duty to defend life in a manner that is worthy of man. It
is a time for prayer and action for we are involved in a spiritual
battle against a culture of death that seeks not only the destruction of
innocent and helpless unborn children but also the sick, the infirm and
the elderly. This is a time of great peril for our country and its
people. Our
cause is noble and the survival of our civilisation depends on the
ultimate and certain victory. We
need to be resolute in spirit, constant in prayer and courageous in
action. We should be encouraged and defiant in the knowledge that with
God's assistance we will not fail. We can also be greatly encouraged by
the progress of the pro-life movement in the United States under the
leadership of President Bush who is supportive of legislative measures
to defend life. It
is important for our community that our society is here to boldly speak
out in defence of life. It is also important that we will still be here
in the future. Our society is ageing; we need more young people. Are you
recruiting young members in your family and church to take up the
defence of life? I
urge you all to attend our AGM to support your executive, to have your
say about the work and management of your society and to socialise with
fellow members. We are fortunate in having Bruce Logan the Director of
the Maxim Institute as our guest speaker. I look forward to talking to
you all at our AGM.
Chris O’Brien ABORTION
SUPERVISORY COMMITTEE REPORT TO PARLIAMENT 2003
The
Abortion Supervisory Committee (ASC) in its annual report to Parliament
for 2003 states that “counselling that takes place in licensed
institutions is strictly neutral in accordance with the Supervisory
Committee's Code of Practice” and that the Committee “continues to
be impressed with the professional competence and quality of the
counselling services provided.” Right
to Life questions the quality of counselling that results in the killing
of 17 380 innocent unborn children for 2003. The dictionary definition
of neutral is “indifferent, taking no part on either side, not siding
with either party.” How can a competent, caring counsellor be
indifferent to the welfare of the mother and the life of her child?
Women and their babies deserve better; they need directional counselling
that is compassionate and caring and that seeks to protect the mother
and her child. Such counselling is provided by Pregnancy Counselling
Services. Right to Life has again taken up this critical issue of
counselling with the ASC and the Minister of Health. On
19 January 2004 our society wrote to the Minister of Health to express
our concerns about the ASC comments. As the Minister is ultimately
responsible for the performance of counsellors employed by DHBs she has
the authority to control the quality of counselling and to ensure that
the rights of unborn children are upheld. The Minister responded on 11
February 2004 and stated, “the Abortion Supervisory Committee is
responsible for approving and monitoring pre-abortion counselling
services. Therefore I suggest you take up your concerns directly with
the Committee.” This is an abdication of responsibility on the part of
the Minister. How can the employer reject responsibility for the
performance of their employees? On
13 January our society sent a similar letter to the ASC. They replied on
13 February and stated that they “cannot be aware of the statements
made by individual counsellors” and refused to take any action. Right
to Life will again take up our concerns with the Minister and the ASC. The
following important statistics were obtained under the Official
Information Act from the ASC. Details
of the fees paid to the 20 highest paid certifying consultants for the
financial year 30 June 2002.
The
aggregate for all certifying consultants in the Christchurch region in
respect of the number of authorisations and the number of refusals
RIGHTS
OF THE UNBORN CHILD
The
Abortion Supervisory Committee in its 2003 report stated that it has no
responsibility to protect the rights of unborn children as there is
nothing in the Contraception, Sterilisation and Abortion (CS&A) Act
spelling out what those rights are. Section
14 (1) (a) of the CS&A Act states that the Supervisory committee
shall: “Keep
under review all the provisions of the abortion law and the operation
and effect of those provisions in practice.” It
should be clear to the Committee that unborn children have human rights
including a right to life. It should also be known to them that with 98%
of requests for abortion being approved by certifying consultants that
no regard is given to protecting the inalienable right to life of unborn
children. This is a grave injustice and must cease. The
Committee should be aware that they have a duty to protect the unborn
child and have a duty to request Parliament to pass legislation to
recognise the status of unborn children as human beings with a right to
life. The Committee should also seek an amendment to the CS&A Act
providing the Committee with legislative authority to uphold and protect
the rights of unborn children. Right
to Life has written to the Committee to express our society's concern at
this continuing and intolerable situation and to request they make the
above requests too Parliament with urgency. The Committee replied on 13
February 2004, and stated, “The Supervisory Committee noted your
comments on and concern about abortion law reform. Your questions about
the rights of unborn children are better directed to Parliament.” ABORTION
HURTS WOMEN
ABORTION
COMPLICATIONS Abortion
is promoted as legal and safe; it is not. With every abortion a baby is
killed and it is dangerous for women's health. The
Abortion Supervisory Committee (ASC) has provided Right to Life with
statistics relating to immediate complications occurring with abortions
notified for the year 2001. The information was provided under the
Official Information Act. The
number of complications reported for the 16 410 abortions notified was
76. Operating surgeons have a statutory duty under Section 45 of the
Contraception, Sterilisation and Abortion Act to report all abortions
they perform to the ASC. The ASC requires that operating surgeons report
all immediate complications. There is no requirement that complications
that occur or are discovered after discharge are reported. Right to Life
seeks to have all complications reported. The
information booklet provided to women seeking an abortion at the Epsom
Day Unit at National Women's Hospital in Auckland states that
“termination of pregnancy is a safe procedure in New Zealand with very
few serious complications... about 5% (1 in 20) of women will need
medical attention and some will require readmission to hospital for
treatment.” The
booklet states that the most common complications are: 1.Blood
clots collecting in the uterus, which may need to be removed by another
suction procedure. This is similar to the abortion procedure and occurs
for 1 out of every 100 women having an abortion (1%). 2.Infection
inside the uterus, which is easily treated (2%). 3.The
abortion may not completely empty the uterus of pregnancy tissue, with
the abortion procedure needing to be repeated (2%). The
information booklet provided to women at the Lyndhurst Abortion Clinic
and the Waikato, Thames and Tokoroa Hospitals also states that a 5%
complication rate is expected. Right to Life believes that this is very
conservative. On the basis of this information it would be reasonable to
expect in the vicinity of 800 complications resulting from the 16 410
abortions performed in 2001. It
is the opinion of Right to Life that all complications resulting,
immediately, or prior to discharge from the facility, from abortion are
not being reported. In
1993 Dr Peter Lykes, a registrar at the Christchurch Women's Hospital,
published the results of a study conducted at the hospital in 1989 and
1990 to review the admissions of women with complications following an
abortion. There
were 2 879 abortions performed in Christchurch, resulting in 167
admissions with complications, representing a complication rate of 5.8%.
Two of the patients presented with immediately life-threatening
conditions. One had a large haemorrhage due to a perforated uterus. This
patient required a hysterectomy to save her life. The other patient
developed severe sepsis with retained foetal parts. This is only the tip
of the iceberg as many women come from out of Christchurch and are
readmitted to their local hospital for treatment. Right
to Life is committed in the interest of women's health to expose the
hidden reality of abortion complications, which include infertility,
miscarriages, premature deliveries, and emotional, psychiatric and
spiritual damage. Right
to Life has written to the ASC asking why action is not being taken to
ensure all complications are reported. A letter has also been sent to
eight of the main District Health Boards (DHBs) requesting under the
Official Information Act the names and the numbers of all the
complications resulting from abortions in their facilities in 2001, with
separate statistics for immediate complications and those requiring
readmission. UPDATE:
The information received from DHBs surprisingly reveals a very small
number of women being readmitted with complications resulting from an
abortion up to six weeks after the event. Auckland
DHB reported for the period July 2001 to September 2003 there were 12
950 abortions resulting in 119 readmissions. The
Canterbury DHB claimed that following the 2 300 abortions at Lyndhurst
and Christchurch Women's during 2001 there were no readmissions with
complications. Other
DHBs reported only a 1-2% complication rate. Wellington Capital Coast
DHB advised that it would be too costly to retrieve the statistics. Right
to Life believes that there may be under-reporting and this important
issue requires further research. MENTAL HEALTH The
ASC have advised Parliament in their annual reports to Parliament that
since 1978 98% of abortions have been authorised on mental health
grounds, namely reactive depression. Dr
Julia Faed, a clinical psychologist of Dunedin, gave expert evidence in
the Christchurch High Court in 1992 that reactive depression was a
contra-indication for abortion. She stated that the correct treatment
for reactive depression was counselling or, if necessary, medication,
and for severe reactive depression hospitalisation. Dr Faed, formerly a
lecturer at the Otago Medical School, gave documented evidence from the
international literature of her profession to corroborate her evidence. In
July 2003 Right to Life wrote to the ASC and asked: 4.What
is the correct treatment for reactive depression? 5.Is
reactive depression an indication or non-indication for an abortion? 6.What
is the estimated time required by a medical practitioner with a patient
seeking an abortion to arrive at a diagnosis of reactive depression? The
ASC replied on 3 September 2003 and advised, “The answer to the
questions is that these matters are entirely subject to the clinical
judgement of the medical practitioner concerned and do not come within
the scope of the Supervisory Committee's functions.” This
reply from the ASC is astounding but not surprising, especially in view
of the statement made by Dr Christine Forster, former chairman of the
ASC, to a Parliamentary Select Committee. Dr Forster stated that mental
health was the grounds used by certifying consultants to provide
abortion on demand. The
ASC chaired by Dr Lesley Rothwell should be well aware of the correct
treatment for reactive depression and that aborting the child of a woman
with reactive depression would not only kill her child but result in
serious psychological damage to the woman. In the opinion of this
society the ASC are failing in their statutory duty to protect the right
to life of unborn children and the health of women. Right
to Life will continue to pursue justice for our unborn and protection
for the health of vulnerable women. MEDIA
Comments from the society were sought by TV1 for a documentary being produced on embryonic stem cell research to be screened this year. NEWSPAPERS
Right
to Life provided information and research to the Christchurch Press on
the issues of double-dipping by consultants and an unlawful abortion in
Palmerston North. This resulted in the leading article on the front page
of the Press and Dominion Post on 21 January 2004 and other regional
newspapers featuring the society's complaint on double-dipping. The
issue of the unlawful abortion was the subject of a major article a week
later in the above newspapers. THE
PRESS: Three letters from the society on prostitution, one on abortion,
and one on double-dipping, have been published recently. NZ
CATHOLIC: Society letters on the subjects of IVF, abortion counselling
and PGD (preimplantation genetic diagnosis) of embryos conceived by IVF
were published in that paper. Society statements on double-dipping and
an unlawful abortion were also published. MINISTER
OF HEALTH
In
January the society wrote to the Minister to challenge her support for
Family Planning's safe sex national advertising campaign of billboards
and buses. The advertisement
showed three young men each with a packet of condoms in their back
pocket, under the legend “three wise men.” The Minister was quoted
in the media as saying “I fully support the programme.” The
message promoted by Family Planning is immoral and vulgar and undermines
the morals of our youth. The model male promoted as wise and armed with
condoms is a predator, surely every parent's nightmare? Right
to Life asked the Minister: 1.
Has the Government completed a cost effectiveness study of the
Government's “safer sex”
programme? 2.
Is the Government funding the Family Planning advertising campaign? 3.What
does the “safer sex”
programme cost the New Zealand taxpayer each year? 4.
How much does the Government invest in supporting advertising programmes
promoting teenage chastity? We
also recommended that a health warning be placed on packets of condoms
warning that condoms do not prevent the transmission of sexually
transmitted diseases such as Chlamydia and the human papilloma virus. A
condom may fail to prevent the conception of a child and an unplanned
pregnancy. The
Minister replied at length on 5 March 2004. The Minister categorically
rejected our society's claims that condoms don't prevent the
transmission of sexually transmitted diseases including HIV
transmission. She claimed that studies done last year showed an 80%
reduction in HIV transmission. The
Government plans a “safer sex” programme next summer. A recent study
by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) showed that for every
dollar spent preventing sexually transmitted infections and “unwanted
pregnancies” $12 is saved in subsequent health and social welfare
expenditure. The Ministry did not fund the Family Planning campaign. The
Government spends approximately $7million a year in sexual health
promotion, which includes reinforcing abstinence. Right
to Life will continue to challenge the Minister's support for a safer
sex programme. SUBSCRIPTIONs
The
executive is grateful to those members who have paid their subscriptions
promptly and those who have been generous in making donations to support
the work of this society in defending our God-given right to life from
conception to natural death. ANNUAL
GENERAL MEETING (AGM) Members
and supporters are encouraged to attend the AGM of our society on Monday
26 April at 7:30pm at Christ the King parish centre Greers Road near the
intersection of Memorial Ave. Our guest speaker will be Bruce
Logan, the director of the Maxim Institute. His topic is “Human
Dignity: What is it?” Maxim is widely respected as a pro-life and
pro-family organisation that provides important research to the
community and Parliament on important social issues. Right to Life is
indebted to Maxim for information and encouragement provided to our
society. Your
elected executive is accountable to the membership. Please support your
society by attending the AGM as we all rededicate ourselves for another
year to defending life. IVF
CLINICS
The
Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) has a 50% shareholding in the
Christchurch Fertility Centre, one of six IVF clinics in New Zealand. Dr
Benny, medical director of the Centre, has stated that there are 3 000
spare embryos in frozen storage left over from IVF treatments. He is
encouraging parents to donate these embryos for experimentation. These
embryos are human beings with human rights. They are not the property of
parents. Right to Life is campaigning to protect their rights; they
could be given up for adoption. The CDHB has endeavoured without success
to obtain information on the fate of these embryos. Dr Benny in a reply
has advised that these embryos are “non viable” and that
experimentation on these embryos have ethic committee approval. His
Centre is not subject to the Official Information Act. It is
unacceptable that the operations of this State funded IVF clinic are not
open to public scrutiny. A
letter has been sent to the Minister of Health asking what
responsibility State funded clinics have to provide important
information relating to respect for life for the human embryo who is a
member of our human family and a child of God. The
Minister of Health in a surprising move has now ruled that where
District health Boards have a shareholding in IVF clinics they will now
be subject to the Official Information Act. The National Ethics
Committee on Assisted Human Reproduction (NECAHR) is currently giving
consideration to giving ethical permission to IVF clinics to give
“surplus” embryos out for adoption. Right to Life has written to
NECAHR supporting this proposal. MINISTRY
OF HEALTH: “UNWANTED/UNINTENDED ACTION PLAN”
The
Ministry of Health is developing a programme to reduce unplanned teenage
pregnancies. Right
to Life wrote to the Minister of Health Annette King on 5 September 2003
to request that the promotion of chastity before marriage be
incorporated in this programme. We also asked if Family Planning were
involved in the development of the programme and if adoption was to be
promoted in preference to abortion. The
Minister in a letter to Right to Life on 3 October 2003 advised that the
programme would be promoting chastity. “Encouraging abstinence and
postponing sexual activity are integral elements of the sexuality
education component of the new Health and Physical Education document.
The Government supports a comprehensive approach to sexual and
reproductive health issues including: 1.
Open and honest discussion about sex and sexuality at all levels of
society. 2.
A research-based approach to policy and programme development. 3.
Ready access to free or low-cost contraception and condoms. 4.
High participation rates in education, training and employment. 5.
High expectations of and trust in teens to act responsibly.” The
Minister advised that adoption would not be promoted, as this was an
option that should be covered in counselling if a woman sought an
abortion. The reference group for the programme included specialist clinicians in youth and STDs, sexual and reproductive health educators, and a number of NGOs including Family Planning. Right
to Life commends the Government for wanting to reduce unplanned teenage
pregnancies. It does not believe that providing contraception and
condoms is part of the solution. It should be noted that the law allows
teenagers under the age of 16 to be provided with contraception without
the knowledge or consent of their parents.
UNFPA
FUNDING
The
United Nations Population Fund Agency, which received $2.2 million in
Government funding last year, supports China's one-child family policy
with forced abortion for those who don't comply. Right
to Life is continuing its campaign to have this funding stopped. We have
now receive3d further information from the Population Research Institute
in the USA, which will be collated and sent to the Associate Minister of
Foreign Affairs to counter the evidence provided to the Minister by
UNFPA refuting our complaint. UNLAWFUL
ABORTION – PALMERSTON NORTH
Right
to Life obtained from the Abortion Supervisory Committee under the
Official Information Act correspondence relating to an unlawful
abortion. The abortion was performed in 2002 at the Southern Cross
Hospital. A certificate authorising an abortion had been signed by two
certifying consultants. The
Southern Cross Hospital was not licensed to perform abortions. The
Police had informed the Crown Law Office who agreed with the decision of
the Police not to prosecute the operating doctor as he had expressed
regret at breaking the law and promised not to do it again. The
doctor could, and in the view of Right to Life should, have been charged
with breaking the Contraception, Sterilisation and Abortion Act Section
37 for performing an abortion elsewhere than in a licensed institution.
On conviction he could have been imprisoned for a term not exceeding 6
months or given a fine not exceeding $1000. The
message that the Police have given the medical profession and the
community is that the unlawful killing of an unborn child is at most a
misdemeanour. Right to Life is consoled that at least our voice was
raised to protest the killing of this innocent child, one of God's
precious infants. A
formal complaint has been made to the Ethics Committee of the New
Zealand Medical Association for a breach of ethics by the unnamed doctor
who performed the abortion. A complaint has also been lodged with the
Health Commissioner. The name of the doctor was withheld by the ASC to
protect the doctor's privacy. His name is also known to the Police and
to the Southern Cross Hospital. MINISTER
OF JUSTICE: ABORTION LAW REVIEW
In our Dec issue we mentioned that the Associate Minister of Justice, Lianne Dalziel, had advised Right to Life of legislation that will be brought to Parliament this year embodying the recommendations made to Parliament in the ASC annual reports. The
Honourable David Benson-Pope has since taken over this portfolio from
Lianne Dalziel. Right to Life wrote to him immediately to respectfully
inform him of the Government's moral responsibility to provide effective
legal protection for the human rights of unborn children and of our
earnest desire for a review of the abortion laws that would increase
legal protection for our unborn children. We commended the Government
for its commitment to implement the requirements of the United Nations
Convention on the Rights of the child. We asked if he would give an
assurance that he would uphold Article 6 of the Convention which reads: 1.State's
parties recognise that every child has the inherent right to life. 2.State's
parties shall ensure to the maximum extent possible the survival and
development of the child. PROSTITUTION
REFORM ACT (PRA) Right
to Life has prepared a further written submission for the Christchurch
City Council on the PRA. We will also be making an oral submission
during this second round of consultation. This follows an extensive
written submission made to the Council subcommittee dealing with the PRA
late last year. On
26 January 2004 the Council at its meeting resolved to adopt the by-law.
No person may operate or permit or suffer to be operated, a brothel in
any part of the city other than within an area designated in the central
business district. There
was a by-law proposed to limit signs in size and content outside
brothels. The Council proposes to take no action on street soliciting
and small owner-operated brothels with up to four prostitutes in the
suburbs. Right
to Life will continue to lobby, proposing a complete ban on street
soliciting and brothels in the suburbs. We are also seeking to have the
extensive red light district reduced in size and prohibited north of
Gloucester Street. Right to Life has also lobbied every City Councillor
in writing seeking their support. ACTION:
Get actively involved in the consultation process in your community.
Don't wait until you have a brothel next to your church, school,
shopping centre or your home: it will then be too late to complain.
Prostitution inflicts on vulnerable, abused women terrible spiritual,
physical and psychological damage. The PRA teaches, institutionalises
and normalises the abuse of women. UNITED
FUTURE: PRO-LIFE AND PRO-FAMILY
The
United Future Party is commended for initiating and promoting the
passing of the Commission of the Family Act. A commission will be
appointed this year with the task of researching and promoting family
issues to Government. United
Future recognises that the foundation stone of a healthy society is the
family. United Future is the only political party in Parliament that is
openly pro-life and pro-family. Last year the United Future caucus
lobbied strongly against the Euthanasia and Prostitution Reform Bills.
They are committed to vigorously opposing the Civil Union bill and the
Legal Recognition of Relationships bill which will amend 100 Acts of
Parliament, writing the terms “marriage,” “husband” and
“wife” almost entirely out of the statue books and ensuring that
civil unions have identical benefits to those who have married. CERTIFYING
CONSULTANTS HYPOCRITICAL?
Dr
Margaret Sparrow is the national President of the Abortion Law Reform
Association and previously a certifying consultant and an abortionist at
the Parkview abortion clinic in Wellington. Following
the Press article on double dipping a letter was published written by Dr
Sparrow, who supports Right to Life's campaign to stop the payment of
fees to certifying consultants. She stated, “the system of certifying
consultants is not only expensive, it is outdated.” She
went on to state that the system is “hypocritical (most decisions are
made on the grounds of mental health).” This
is a very serious accusation of unethical and unlawful authorisations of
abortions by certifying consultants. The accusation should be taken
seriously by Parliament and the Abortion Supervisory Committee. It calls
for an official enquiry. Right to Life has taken this important issue up
with the Abortion Supervisory Committee and the Minister of Justice. “The
system of certifying consultants is not only expensive it is outdated...
[the system is also] hypocritical (most decisions are made on the
grounds of mental health.”
Dr Margaret Sparrow
National President ALRANZ
previously an abortionist and director of the Parkview
abortion clinic, Wellington CERTIFYING
CONSULTANTS CORRESPONDENCE
Right
to Life in December 2003 wrote to the 211 certifying consultants on the
Abortion Supervisory list. Our
letter stated that abortion kills children and also wounds and kills
women. We advised them that studies conducted by our society indicate
that one to two women die each year following an abortion. We also
listed the physical and psychological complications that could follow an
abortion, including an increased risk of breast cancer. We concluded by
requesting that they promote a culture of life and cease promoting a
culture of death. Right
to Life has not received any replies to these letters. NEW
ZEALAND MEDICAL ASSOCIATION (NZMA) The
chairperson of the NZMA, Dr Tricia Brisco, recently defended the right
of an orthopaedic surgeon at the new Auckland hospital speaking out in
defence of his patients. Dr Brisco said in a TV1 news item that
“doctors have a duty to speak out on behalf of their patients.” The
unborn child is a patient and is entitled to the protection of the
medical profession. In
June 2003 Dr Tony Baird, chairperson of the NZMA Ethics Committee, in a
letter to Right to Life acknowledged that there was a “lack of legal
rights for an embryo foetus prior to birth.” Regretfully this language
dehumanises the unborn child. Recently
the NZMA commendably opposed the Death with Dignity bill, as it would
violate the sanctity of life ethic. Why then is the NZMA silent in
defending the right to life of the weakest and most defenceless patient,
the unborn child? Right to Life has written to Dr Brisco to encourage
the NZMA to seek effective legal protection for unborn children and
their mothers. WORLD
NEWS
WOMAN
DIES FOLLOWING USE OF RU486 A
Californian woman died in September 2003 shortly after taking Mifegyne
RU486, the French abortion pill. Holly Patterson, 18 years of age, from
San Francisco, had received the drug from a nurse at Planned Parenthood
and then sent home. Holly was living with her father who had no
knowledge of the pregnancy. California
has a parental consent law that prohibits an abortion on girls under the
age of 18 without the knowledge or consent of one parent. This law is
not yet in effect as it is subject to court action. The
Federal Drug Agency is looking into this tragic death. Since
RU486 received US approval in September 2000 about 225 000 American
women have taken RU486. The
American manufacturer of RU486, Danco Laboratories, has reported 400
women suffering serious complications. In April 2000 Danco advised
doctors that six women have died from using RU486 in North America. The
death toll is now seven. SUPPORT
FOR ABORTION DECLINES IN THE USA
A recent national poll revealed 68% of respondents support “restoring legal protection for unborn children” and almost the same number said they would favour future Supreme Court nominees who support protection for the unborn child. For parental consent for abortions for girls under 18 years of age, the support was 73%. TISSUE
REGENERATION A STEP CLOSER
California
scientists have discovered a possible way of making adult cells revert
to an immature state, offering a way to create stem cells without using
human embryos. A team from the Scripps Research Institute has identified
a small synthetic molecule called reversine that can induce a cell to
“dedifferentiate”, or to move backwards to form its own precursor
cell. “This
[type of approach] has the potential to make stem cell research more
practical,” says one of the researchers, Dr Sheng Ding. “This will
allow you to derive stem-like cells from your own mature cells, avoiding
the technical and ethical issues associated with embryonic stem
cells.” The
dream of the researchers is to mimic the natural regenerative process in
animals like amphibians, which can replace lost limbs. However, they
acknowledge that this is still years away. ~ Telegraph (UK), December
24; Scripps press release, December 25. SWISS
NURSE ACCUSED OF KILING 24 ELDERLY PATIENTS
A
Swiss nurse killed 24 old people in nursing homes and tried to snuff out
three more lives in what he said was a bid to end their suffering and
help reduce a crushing workload on staff. Wrapping up their two and a
half year investigation into a man Swiss media have dubbed the “Angel
of Death”, officials in the central Swiss city of Lucerne said the
unidentified suspect had confessed to several of the killings at five
separate homes. The
nurse, 34, told investigators he had put his victims – mostly women
between the ages of 66 and 95 – out of their misery by injecting them
with lethal doses of drugs or smothering them with plastic bags and
towels. “The accused gave as his motive acting out of sympathy,
compassion, empathy and salvation on the one hand and also cited total
overload and relief for himself and the nursing team on the other
hand,” a statement said. A
psychiatric review found the nurse competent to stand trial, which was
expected to take place late this year or early next. The case has
shocked the country despite its relatively lenient attitude to
euthanasia. Nine suspicious deaths first came to light at the end of May
2001 after a rash of people died in a special unit for the senile in a
home for the elderly in Lucerne, where the man had worked since December
2000. The suspect, whom authorities have described as well-educated, was
arrested after the home's authorities alerted police. He remains in
custody. |