S.P.U.C. march on House

Press, 1 September 1977, Page 1

S.P.U.C. march on House

PA Wellington About 500 people, many in family groups, marched through Wellington to Parliament Buildings last evening and presented an open letter to members of Parliament urging them not to relax New Zealand’s abortion laws.

lite crowd, representing groups from Whangarei to Invercargill, was led into Parliament Grounds by a rowdy group of about 30 pro-abortion campaigners. But the main participants, inarching under the banner of the Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child, were quiet and orderly. It took the group, one of the largest seen at Parliament, 25 minutes to march through the gates and form on the lawns in front of Parliament Buildings. They were greeted by several Ministers and members, who walked along the barricades, shaking hands and exchanging remarks.

At the rear of the group was a S.P.U.C. delegation led bv its national president (Mr J. D. Dalgety), who presented copies of an open letter to the Minister of Health (Mr Gill) and to the Opposition member for Wig ram (Mr M. A. Connelly).

The letters were addressed to the Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) and the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Rowling), both of whom were absent from the House. The letter said the march showed the concern of many New Zealanders that the virtual "abortion on request” situation the Royal Commission on contraception. sterilisation, and abortion found existed in Auckland would spread on the main population areas of New Zealand if Parliament did not pass “strong law’s protecting our unborn children.”