Take time this summer to WRITE YOUR MP because this bill will return to Parliament in September!

REALity Volume XXXV Issues No. 5 May 2016

Advocates for abortion persistently argue that rights should be denied the child in the womb, and demand a cone of silence on the issue. Fortunately, they have repeatedly been rebuffed on this, as the issue of the child’s humanity just keeps bubbling up to the surface, time and time again, refusing to be denied.

What makes this issue so difficult for the pro-abortionists is that their argument is based on the fiction that the pre-born child doesn’t really exist. It is obvious that this is absurd.  The fact of a human life growing within a pregnant woman was acknowledged, even in the middle ages, when the law prevented the hanging of a convicted woman who was pregnant because she was carrying an innocent human life within her.  What has changed today is not the biological fact of the child’s presence, but only the propaganda pretending the child isn’t really there.

Bill C-225, was tabled in the House of Commons on February 23, 2016 by a newly elected Saskatchewan Conservative female MP, Cathay Wagantall, (Melville – Yorkton). She presented a bill aimed at protecting unborn children in the womb when a crime of violence has occurred against their mothers.  This bill was seconded by another newly elected Conservative female MP, Rachael Harder, Lethbridge, Alberta.

The bill is called “Cassie and Molly’s Law” after Cassandra Kaake (Cassie), a seven month pregnant woman, murdered in her home in Windsor in December, 2014 along with her unborn daughter, whom she had already named Molly.  At the time of her murder, Cassie had prepared the nursery for Molly, and was looking forward to Molly’s birth with great excitement.

Women under Canada’s abortion law supposedly have a “choice” whether to give birth or not. But the decision not to give birth, (i.e. the choice for abortion) is protected, but there is no legal protection for the life of the unborn child to whom the mother wishes to give birth.  That is, currently, when a pregnant woman is killed, along with her unborn child, the only charge is for the murder of the mother, not her child.  As stated by Molly’s father, Jeff Durham,

“Two hearts stopped beating as a result of this atrocity, but only one was being accounted for – regardless of Cassie’s choice”.

Bill C-225 is aimed at correcting this gap in the law. Bill C-225 does the following:

  • Creates a new offence in the Criminal Code for injuring or causing the death of a pre-born child during the commission of a criminal offence against a pregnant woman.
     
  • Adds pregnancy to the list of aggravating factors for the purposes of sentencing. This means that killing the unborn child, with intent in the course of assaulting or killing its mother, must be considered by a judge when sentencing the offender. Even if the pre-born child is not injured or killed, the courts can still come down hard on anyone who is convicted of violence against a pregnant woman. 
  • Adds to women’s rights by protecting a pregnant woman when she chooses to carry her baby to term.

 This bill does not apply to abortion or acts or omissions by the pregnant woman herself. The bill is exclusively and only directed to those who knowingly commit a criminal offence against a pregnant woman which harms the unborn child.  The bill serves as a strong deterrent to committing violence against pregnant women.

Because of his unspeakable grief, Mr. Durham, the father of Molly, has personally mounted a campaign to obtain justice for his daughter. He launched the website: www.mollymatters.org.

Also, the political action group, Association for Reformed Political Action (ARPA), has created three sample letters relating to this bill which can be sent to your MP.  

There is a new online government petition launched by the Clerk of Petitions in December 2015. You can sign a written petition and an online petition and both signatures will count.  To sign the online petition go to this link https://petitions.parl.gc.ca/en/Petition/Sign/e-183. The petition calls upon the House of Commons to pass legislation which would recognize pre-born children as separate victims when they are injured or killed during the commission of an offence against their mothers, allowing two charges to be laid against the offender instead of just one.

Bill C-225 is not a perfect law since it won’t stop abortions. However, it will protect the human rights of mothers and their unborn children when they have chosen to carry their child to term, and is a recognition of the existence and humanity of that child.

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UPDATE Barbara Kay: Unborn babies will stay persons in fact, but not law May 3 2016 National Post

Video interview with Mike Schouten who was in Ottawa to witness the debate in parliament on May 3 2016