O'Connor SimonSIMON O'CONNOR (National—Tāmaki): Thank you Mr Speaker. I'm pleased to take a call in this—well actually I'm not pleased to be taking a call in this third reading. I'd prefer that we were not here.When we're discussing topics like this we move between the subjective and the personal and then into the objective and the ethical. Having had to counsel a number of women over years who have had abortions I do want to put on record right from the start that the individual choices—and mentioned it to a journalist a few months back too who shared of her own abortion—that those women have made never leads to condemnation of them. A person like myself will still talk of the objective of being wrong but I think it's important to put on record that no matter what decisions women make or any one of us here in choices in life it never takes away from the dignity importance and value of every person. But objectively though my view on abortion remains steadfast—in many ways for the reasons that were wonderfully and eloquently put by Agnes Loheni.This is a Government bill. I think that needs to be very clearly understood by the public—so I say it again: this is a Government bill. This is a bill which the Prime Minister herself is behind. I say that once again for the public: this is a bill that the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is behind.Someone said They are us and we are them." It's interesting that it referred to the Muslim community. I can't speak for the Muslim community but I bet if one of them was standing here today they'd be very clear of what their Muslim values say—they are us and we are them. I've said many many times before that human rights apply to all humans and I find it sadly sad—I suppose things are sadly sad—for people to say "They are us and we are them." but when it comes to the unborn child according to those who will support this bill and certainly the Prime Minister unborn children are certainly not us and we are not with them. I condemn that position.This bill should not be supported. It is extreme and it is too radical. Fundamentally—fundamentally—it provides absolutely no rights no recognition and no dignity whatsoever to the human child that's developing.I noted in my first reading speech which I was grateful to have that the human child developing in the womb is us—it's every one of us—just that little bit younger. There is no miracle through the birth canal where all of a sudden nothing becomes something—that is just not feasible.We have a bill where abortion right up to birth is OK—whether it could happen it happens once 100 times 500 is irrelevant; it's what this bill enables. It's far too radical. Abortion because a baby is disabled is OK. An abortion because the baby's a girl is OK which is really quite a challenge I imagine for modern feminists including the fact that half the babies aborted are women. You know "Go feminism! We're going to knock out half the babies that are girls!" Well done there ladies!—or modern feminists. Down syndrome children can be aborted. Again whether or not it happens or not is irrelevant; the bill allows it.The bill no longer has any ability to take in cultural considerations. Again that should be a challenge to members who wax lyrical in this House about cultural values and the Treaty of Waitangi and yet here in a life and death issue they're choosing to ignore it. No notification for parents at all. I put forward a Supplementary Order Paper saying that I just want to make it absolutely abundantly black-and-white clear in this legislation that if and when—and it does happen—an abortion is botched that the child will absolutely definitively receive healthcare. It breaks my heart to think that this House voted it down. That's horrendous—it's absolutely horrendous.And then the attack on conscience rights: awful just awful. But believe it or not on days like today I'm actually not a pessimist. You know why? Because I can smell the fear in this House from the pro-abortion side—the absolute reeking stinking fear. And you know why? It is because the pro-abortion side know their position is weak—fundamentally weak. I'm going to illustrate in the last few minutes why because I want to bring a message of hope. They are weak and they are fearful because they're anti-science. They always move against the science of the human child of conception. What is developing? They fear the science. They won't talk about it at all—the baby that has a heartbeat at six weeks its own DNA that it can feel pain. The science is ignored—you can feel the fear.Euphemisms—euphemisms abound in this debate. My God we will never talk about a baby; we'll talk about cells we'll talk about clumps and we'll talk about fetuses. In fact we'll try to use the English language to never never use it. Euphemisms throughout history have been used in an Orwellian way—well actually that's probably a contradiction since he wrote 1984 but it's an Orwellian way to avoid reality. Euphemisms and those who use it show great weakness and fear and I can smell it here today.Safe spaces—great to see that defeated; a disgusting attempt of procedural override there. But why safe spaces? Woe betide someone that might stand outside of an abortion clinic! As I mentioned in my committee stage "What's more scary than a nun with a set of rosary beads standing outside an abortion clinic?" Again it points to the fear and the weakness. The banning of conscience rights: "We don't want people thinking. My God we don't want our doctors nurses and others thinking. We're going to ban them from having an opinion." Yes that is awful but I tell you now: that is an expression of fear and of weakness.The talk of stigma and shame becoming the latest progressive tools; it's a form of censorship. No one should ever feel a shame or stigma for anything of course unless it's the progressives who want you and people like me—my God I'm a Roman Catholic. That is one of the worst and the most intolerable things possible. I'm to feel ashamed. But you listen from the progressive side they move very hard now: stigma and shame. A censorship of thought again for the pro-lifers—have hope. This shows great fear and weakness on the pro-abortion side.They call us extremists—sort of the opposite of euphemisms. Now maybe I'm an extremist. Colleagues are probably thinking that at the moment. I don't really care. But they're very very clear. It's ironic of course that those who yell at anyone who's an extremist because they hold you know a pro-life scientific view are just the very people who attack populism. They won't talk to the topic; they'll just use names and labels. Take hope people—take hope.Rushing this through of course. I mean is there something else happening in society at the moment? Yes COVID-19. "Hey but we're going to spend hours more in this House debating abortion."—unbelievable. And more than happy of course—more than happy—to rush this through with everyone distracted.I want to mention here at this moment the complicity once again of the media who have not fully embraced or reported this topic. They are scared and that includes the New Zealand media. I implore New Zealanders to look far more widely for truth than what they'll find in mainstream media here in New Zealand. They are scared as well. They are scared of the truth and they will do everything they can to shut people like me and you down.Finally you just wrap all that together. You wrap all of that together in this debate and ultimately it doesn't matter if you're for abortion or not but that absolute fear those dynamics: anti-science; euphemisms; "We must have safe spaces and exclude people; we're going to ban conscience rights; we'll make sure anyone who opposes us is seen as an extremist; we'll call them a bigot intolerant; we'll stigmatise and shame anyone and remove it where we can."—all of this points to great fear and weakness; great fear and weakness.So today this bill will pass undoubtedly but I've seen a great awakening in the country on top of many many things that are happening. So as I say I'm actually not pessimistic. I'm full of hope and I'm full of hope because I stand beside some amazing amazing people. I don't have enough time left to read through the whole thing or all the names—I'd be here for the hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders—but a day is coming where that if you will concern and fear will be reversed when the truth continues to come out for those who speak for life will be heard once again loud and clear. History is replete with that. But I finish with a little indulgence to myself and it'll probably get me into trouble but one thing I do want to say to the good people and I won't translate for here but it's "Mihi vindicta: ego retribuam dicit Dominus"."