An Important Update about the ‘Safe Areas’ Bill to Criminalise Pro-Life Speech
A special report from Voice for Life commentator Holly Anne
Late last Wednesday night, the second reading began for Luisa Wall’s proposed ‘Safe Areas’ Bill (Contraception, Sterilisation, and Abortion (Safe Areas) Amendment Bill).
Parliament will be continuing with the second reading of this bill in under two weeks.
The addition of new amendments has further targeted pro-life advocates and will criminalise us for using our rights to free speech and freedom of expression.
If this bill is passed, pro-life advocates could be criminalised simply for standing for the value and dignity of all human life and for offering alternative help to women in distress.
During the Wednesday night commencement of the second reading, MP Luisa Wall stated that the Health Committee, in their report, “recommended by majority that the ‘Safe Areas’ Bill be passed and they recommended all amendments unanimously.”
Wall reiterated that this bill is “aimed to protect the safety and wellbeing and respect the privacy and dignity of women accessing abortion facilities and practitioners providing and helping with abortion services by providing a regulation making power that would enable safe-areas to be set around specific abortion facilities.” However, the ramifications of this piece of legislation will vastly and negatively affect the average pro-lifers fight for the value of life.
Abortion is an intentional and physical act that terminates the life of an unborn child.
Naming abortion facilities ‘safe areas’ and criminalising law-abiding Kiwis who wish to stand for unborn lives, their personal convictions, and the truth about the procedure and effects of abortion, is nothing short of unethical and targeted discrimination.
The wording of this proposed law, as well as the recommended amendments, supports and presents a twisted version of the truth, one that reverses the pro-life and pro-abortion roles.
If this bill is passed as the Health Commission has advised, there will be new legal means to place the abortionists (those responsible for the physical act of killing unborn children) as the saviours and life-saving health-workers, and criminalise the pro-life advocates (those advocating for the lives and wellbeing of both mothers and their unborn children) as oppressive, abrasive, and dangerous threats to the mother’s and unborn baby’s mental and physical wellbeing.
In what sane world are those responsible for the termination of life heralded as life-saving social heroes, whilst those who advocate for the preservation and dignity of all human life are denounced as dangerous criminals?
Well, unfortunately, this is the exact situation we find ourselves facing right now in New Zealand.
This bill is nothing more than a direct attack on the pro-life message and convictions, and is yet another attempt to silence any who would stand for truth, equal justice, and the lives of both mother and child. As such, the proposed ‘Safe Areas’ Bill contradicts human rights laws and is unethical and morally indefensible by nature.
In recognition of this, the Attorney General, the New Zealand Law Commission, and many health-practitioners and abortion providers originally agreed that these safe areas are unwarranted and thus a direct violation of our rights to free speech and free expression.
The Commission stated that “The Commission has not seen any evidence that the existing laws around intimidating antisocial behaviour are inadequate, as would be required to justify the introduction of safe access zones. The Commission does not suggest the introduction of safe access zones.”
However, instead of amending this bill to provide provision for free expression, this advice has been used to further target pro-life activists by including amendments specifically prohibiting activities such as “advising or persuading [a protected person accessing, providing, or assisting with providing abortion services] to refrain from accessing or providing abortion services...informing... about matters relating to the provision of abortion services unless it was when the services were being provided...[and] engaging in protest about matters relating to the provision of abortion services."
Unfortunately, the Attorney General has also now endorsed this bill with these further restrictions on our freedoms, demonstrating that the rights of pro-life advocates are sadly not valued by the supporters of these ‘safe areas’.
In short, these amendments provide legal means of criminalising side-walk counselling, peaceful protests against abortion, the provision of pro-life materials or information to any accessing abortion services, and any offers of alternative help from pro-life advocates.
Next week the ‘Safe Areas’ bill will continue in its second reading and will be voted on shortly after.
To stand for the lives of our unborn children and our rights to freely express our views and convictions about abortion and life, please contact your local MP with your concerns regarding this bill.
Holly Anne is a young Kiwi commentator based in Auckland who is passionate about fighting for truth and freedom, and discussing pro-life issues.
