Tuesday January 20, 2004

New Zealand Abortion Consultants "Double Dipping"

CHRISTCHURCH, January 20, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - New Zealand media reported today that many government-paid abortion consultants are also employed as abortionists or by district health boards, thereby earning the criticism of "double dipping."

The highest-paid consultant earned $158,000 in Justice Ministry fees last year, for signing off more than 1800 abortions.

Abortionists in New Zealand earn $87.50 from the ministry for each abortion they approve, on top of a salary from their district health board. More than $3.5 million in such consultancy fees were paid out by the New Zealand government last year.

Ken Orr, the Right of Life New Zealand spokesman, said that "double-dipping" is commonplace in the abortion industry. "As operating surgeons are employed by a [district health board] and in receipt of a salary, why should these consultants also receive a fee of $87.50 for signing a certificate after a cursory interview lasting a few minutes to see if a woman still wants an abortion," he said. "The fees paid to consultants serve no purpose. They are not assisting in reducing our country's unacceptable abortion rate and should be withdrawn."

The good news, as previously reported by LifeSiteNews.com, as reported in the 2003 annual report by New Zealand's pro-abortion Abortion Supervisory Committee said that it had problems with "workforce recruitment and retention," due to a growing number of doctors and nurses who are refusing to do abortions on ethical grounds.

There were 17,380 abortions in New Zealand in 2002.

URL: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/jan/04012003.html

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