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DAY 12: More than Lord of the Rings

When many people think of New Zealand, they know it as the place where the epic Lord of the Rings movies were filmed.

The real story of New Zealand is the hope that Christians have in the midst of the radical secularization of their country. To counter this mindset, pro-life Christians in New Zealand brought 40 Days for Life to their country in 2014.

Three cities in New Zealand are taking part in the current 40 Days for Life campaign … and our board chair, Matt Britton, is just back from a trip to all three locations.

“New Zealand only has about 5 million people,” Matt learned, “and recently recorded its 500,000th abortion – meaning 10 percent of the current population is gone.”

Although abortion is technically illegal, the existence of many exceptions makes abortion available virtually on demand – about 13,500 per year nationwide. While there are fees and waiting periods for other medical procedures at public hospitals, abortion is FREE – and immediate.

Auckland, New Zealand

40 Days for Life board chair Matt Britton’s first stop on his New Zealand tour was Auckland, where he spoke to several hundred at a kickoff event … and met with Bishop Patrick Dunn.

Michael Loretz, the local coordinator, said a pregnant teen contacted one of his team members as a direct result of this kickoff.

“Please pray for this girl,” he said. “She will need support to choose life for her baby.”

The Auckland vigil, run from the offices of the John Paul II Centres for Life, is across from one of the only private abortion facilities in New Zealand. Socialized medicine provides free abortions at hospitals, but this location does 1,000 abortions annually.

“There were protesters most days,” Matt said — such as the ones in the photo below.

The abortion director here once referred a client to Michael because she couldn’t afford an abortion – and his team helped save the baby. “This year at the kickoff, the director came out, thanked Michael, and then went back in. Try and make that up!”