A Basic Lack of Trust

A Basic Lack of Trust

by Terry Bellamak

Last week Newshub asked Christopher Luxon whether contraception would be fully funded if National gets elected and rolls back Labour’s elimination of the $5 fee for prescriptions. Caught off guard, his answer revealed just how little thought or planning went into this policy. He said he did not consider those needing contraception to have “high medical needs.”

Luxon had once again stumbled into telling on himself. You would think a former CEO would be well across the business case for contraception – it prevents more costly health service events, like abortions, pregnancies, and childbirths. Instead Luxon seemed to answer not from his business superego, but from his evangelical id. Fundamentalists oppose both abortion and contraception, as we see in the USA.

The electorate, ever watchful for signs of plans to roll back reproductive rights, reacted with outrage. They remembered certain salient facts the National party would rather they forget:

  • Luxon is on record agreeing that abortion is ‘tantamount to murder’
  • Luxon has promised not to repeal the Abortion Legislation Act 2020, nor reduce funding for abortions BUT
  • The religious right has strong form for lying about reproductive rights when it suits their agenda. 
    • Supreme court justices in the US lied about abortion in their Senate confirmation hearings, leading to the overturning of Roe v Wade. 
    • Anti-abortion extremists in the USA and New Zealand still tell lies about abortion negatively affecting patients’ mental health, years after the Turnaway study proved otherwise. 
  • National MP Simon O’Connor, who ended his speech at the Abortion Legislation Act’s third reading with the ominous ‘Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord’ in Latin, posted ‘Today is a good day’ when Roe was overturned. It took Luxon three tries to distance himself from O’Connor’s remarks and calm the waters.
  • In the past week National’s fundie caucus has been throwing its weight around, with Simeon Brown complaining about bilingual road signage, and O’Connor dog-whistling his opposition to same-sex marriage. Luxon is unable, or chooses not, to control them.
  • Also this week the National party showed form for reneging on good faith agreements, as shown by their surprise repudiation of the Medium Density Residential Standards agreement with the government.

And now here we have Luxon stating his belief that contraception is not important enough for National to cover people who need it. Bad look. No wonder people find it hard to credit his promises around protecting abortion rights.

Labour uncharacteristically took advantage of Luxon’s mistake. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins referred to the National party taking New Zealand back to the 1950s. Megan Woods tweeted a meme from the Handmaid’s Tale.

You can tell how much Woods’s jibe hit home by the pearl-clutching that ensued. The mildest hyperbole was condemned as dirty politics. 

Newshub seemed a bit shocked and dismayed that their gotcha question had landed so hard. The walkback started immediately as political journalists echoed the National party’s outrage, grabbing for their own pearls.

Some have criticised Labour for not eliminating the prescription fee six years ago. Why is this silly time-travel argument used so much? Making the announcement about free prescriptions changed the conversation. From that moment ‘everybody pays’ was off the table. In its place was ‘nobody pays’ and ‘some must pay.’ 

Who must pay for what involves a values-based discussion about what care the health service should fully fund. National should have known better than to turn the discussion to values when its loud and proud fundie caucus is so out of step with the New Zealand public. Aotearoa has a resolutely secular society that does not trust extreme religious politicians. 

That’s why Woods’s meme hit home. 

Given the importance of the rights at stake, i.e. bodily autonomy and reproductive freedom, who could blame New Zealanders for being super cautious about a party chock full of people who oppose their fundamental rights, including the leader? This is not the National party of Hon Amy Adams and Hon Nikki Kaye.

We have seen the speed with which the health care system in conservative US states has deteriorated into a shit show. People are being criminalised for making decisions about their own bodies in the privacy of their own homes. People with failing pregnancies are being forced to wait until they are at death’s door before doctors will treat them. The USA’s Savita Halappanavar may be only weeks away. 

If we elect a National government that breaks its promises and curtails reproductive rights, it will be too late for us. Given the grave nature of the risk, we have every right to be worried about National and their real intentions.

 

Terry Bellamak’s Remarks at Wellington’s Anti-TERF Rally

Terry Bellamak’s Remarks at Wellington’s Anti-TERF Rally

Kia Ora koutou. Ahiahi marie.

Thanks for coming out today and standing up from trans rights.

I’m Terry Bellamak, life member and former president of ALRANZ Abortion Rights Aotearoa. And I’m here to tell you ALRANZ supports our trans whanau.

LGBT folks were there for us during abortion law reform, and now we are there for them

During the fight for abortion law reform, especially at the end, when we were organising marches, rallies, petitions, LGBT groups were the first to jump in, always front and centre, standing up for the bodily autonomy of pregnant people. That means a lot to us, and we do not forget. 

Now it’s trans rights that are under attack – from the same folks, the same right wing extremists and their fellow travellers that opposed abortion rights. What a coincidence.

So here we are. We come to stand with our trans whanau and we are here for the long haul. We’re not going anywhere.

The fight for reproductive rights is not over

We see it all over the world – reproductive rights and trans rights are both getting hammered. Especially in the US, where right wing groups – TERFs, fundamentalists, christian dominionists, white supremacists and other racists, incels and other anti-feminists, and of course, your straight-up Nazis – these people are coming together to try and roll back the human rights of those they do not consider to be fully human.

And make no mistake, right wing extremists here in Aotearoa, including TERFs are trying to do the same thing here, coming together in right-wing coalitions like the ones in the states, to force us all back to the 1950s, when white cis men’s authority was not questioned. Fuck that.

Abortion rights matter to everyone – not just cis women and trans men, but everyone who values bodily autonomy. Just like human rights matter for everyone, not just for those whose rights are under attack today.

We have an election coming up, and what we need to remember is that reproductive rights are not safe. National’s leader, evangelical Chris Luxon – who says abortion is tantamount to murder – has promised not to repeal the Abortion Legislation Act. But here’s the thing – an anti-abortion government could do a lot of damage without repealing the Act.

Like for instance changing Care of Children Act to require teens who want abortion care to get their parents permission, something Posie Parker supports.

Or like just not approving safe areas, which means harassing people outside abortion services is not illegal, which it currently isn’t. Sadly, our current government has also failed to approve any safe areas after a year.

To preserve our rights, we need  to vote like our fundamental human rights are at stake, because they are.

Today we’re here and we stand together and we will win

Our opponents would like nothing better than to divide us. Fuck that.

Especially TERFs, trying to pass themselves off as feminists. That’s bullshit.

The feminist movement is intersectional – it must include LGBT rights, or it’s not feminism.

Everyone here, we are all here for one reason – to fight the patriarchy.

And the sensible people of Aotearoa support us – 74% support abortion rights, and 80% support trans rights. The haters have already lost. But they haven’t stopped fighting yet.

So that’s why ALRANZ is here to stand with our trans siblings. And we’ll be here next time, and the time after that, until everyone – everyone – is safe from violence, and their human rights are recognised and respected. 

Thanks for listening, and thanks for coming out today!

Ka kite ano.

 

Open Letter to Christopher Luxon, Leader of the Opposition

ALRANZ Abortion Rights Aotearoa Secretary Jacqueline Cavanagh sent the following open letter to Christopher Luxon. She objects to his demand for Green Party Co-Leader Marama Davidson’s to apologise for her accurate statements concerning the sources of violence in our communities.

 

Dear Mr Luxon

You have been quoted as saying that comments made by Marama Davidson were offensive and that she should apologise. You said you believed she must apologise publicly to the people that she hurt. I can only assume that you would expect a public apology from any other politician who says offensive things, in public, and in their capacity as a member of parliament.

I challenge you to live up to your own standards.

In an interview with Newshub in December 2021, you claimed that abortion is tantamount to murder. I had an abortion. You have, therefore, called me a murderer. The fact that I had the abortion to save my life and not leave the child I already had without a mother is a nuance your comment does not consider. Though my reasons do not matter because the decision to end a pregnancy is my right. 

I am not a murderer because abortion is healthcare, not a crime. People who access abortion do so for their own excellent reasons. You may disagree with those reasons, but 74% of New Zealanders agree that abortion should be available on request for any reason. 

I am personally offended by your statements, and I represent a community of people who are similarly offended by your comments. This is the community of people who accessed healthcare services in accordance with the law to end their pregnancies, and the spouses, partners, children and loved ones of those persons. 

I ask you to apologise publicly and unreservedly for your offensive comments, in which you called me a murderer. I believe that a failure to do so calls into question the integrity of your calls for other politicians to apologise. Failure to do so is most certainly failing to live up to the same standards to which you hold other politicians accountable. 

 I await your apology, without holding my breath.

 

Yours sincerely,

Jacqueline Cavanagh

Secretary, ALRANZ Abortion Rights Aotearoa


ALRANZ supports rally for trans acceptance and reproductive rights

ALRANZ supports rally for trans acceptance and reproductive rights

ALRANZ Abortion Rights Aotearoa stands in unwavering solidarity with Queer Endurance/Defiance, who are organizing the Rally for Trans Acceptance and Reproductive Rights  in Wellington on Sunday 26th March at 1.30pm.

 The rally responds to the speaking tour of anti-trans, anti-abortion and anti-contraception UK extremist Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull, known as Posie Parker. Immigration New Zealand is allowing Keen-Minshull to travel to New Zealand despite her links with white supremacists.  ALRANZ strongly condemns Keen-Minshull’s hateful and divisive views. Her extremist rhetoric aims to harm and marginalize individuals, particularly women and gender minorities, and restrict their access to vital reproductive healthcare.

 After a strong neo-nazi presence at Keen-Minshulls’ Hobart rally and her anti-trans hate speech, prime minister Chris Hipkins has condemned the use of free speech to incite hatred and violence. ALRANZ spokesperson Fleur Kelsey states “her anti-trans extremist hate speech is not welcome here and does not reflect the views of the majority of New Zealanders” and urges Immigration New Zealand to reconsider and deny Keen-Minshulls’ entry to Aotearoa immediately.

 ALRANZ is committed to upholding the rights of queer and trans people to gender affirming and reproductive healthcare which meets their needs. We urge supporters and allies to join in solidarity at this rally if you are able to. Together, we can drown out the voices of hate and bigotry and show support for the marginalized in our communities.

Anniversary of Safe Areas Bill’s Passage Passes with No Safe Areas

Last Saturday 18 March, Aotearoa New Zealand marked the first anniversary of the passage of the Contraception, Sterilisation, and Abortion (Safe Areas) Amendment Act 2022. ALRANZ Abortion Rights Aotearoa notes that in spite of the act, New Zealand has no safe areas.

 

The process to create a safe area is cumbersome and time-consuming. It requires months of work by the Ministry of Health to plot out the safe area and get it approved. After all that, the fate of a safe area is in the hands of Cabinet, which can move it forward or ignore it.

 

There are currently about a dozen safe area applications in the pipeline. Half are ready for Cabinet to consider.

 

People who receive or provide abortion care need safe areas yesterday. Every day, people have to walk by judgemental anti-abortion protesters with huge, misleading, gory signs in order to access safe, legal health care. 

 

ALRANZ president Dr Tracy Morison said, “Parliament passed the Safe Areas Bill because they saw the need for it. If there’s a need, and there definitely is, then the process for creating safe areas isn’t fit for purpose because not one safe area has been created to date.”

 

ALRANZ believes Cabinet needs to approve the safe areas applications as a matter of urgency, or admit the government got it wrong when they set out the requirements for creating safe areas.