New Zealand’s Deputy Prime Minister, Winston Peters, who was elected on a pro-life vote in the last general election, voted against an amendment requiring that pain relief be given to babies being aborted between 20 weeks and birth.
The Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, joined 80 other politicians and Peters in voting against a requirement to give medical help to babies born alive after ‘failed’ abortions.
The amendment was to ensure that the baby would not feel pain, bringing the legislation in line with New Zealand’s Animal Welfare Act which requires vets to ensure that animals don’t feel pain.
Winston Peters also voted against 12 other amendments brought forward by pro-life MPs including to: provide additional safeguards to help prevent sex-selective abortions; keep conscientious objection standards the same as they currently are (the bill currently weakens the protections); restrict employment discrimination on grounds of conscience.
On 12 March, three judges of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) deprived European midwives of the guarantee of their right to conscientious objection to abortion.
This decision (Grimmark and Steen v. Sweden) can apply, by extension, to the entire medical profession.
To make such a decision, they declared that abortion is an ordinary medical act, and that general access to abortion takes precedence over respect for personal freedom of conscience.
The appeals were lodged by two Swedish midwives who were unable to practise their profession because their requests not to perform abortions were systematically rejected by their employers. Sweden does not recognise the right of conscientious objection to abortion.
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