The Canadian Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (SOG) has issued a statement that accuses the drafters of the Unborn Victims of Crime bill with conspiring to remove the “right” of a woman to kill her child at will by abortion up to the end of natural gestation, as Canadian law currently allows.The SOG wrote, “This Bill proposes to amend the Criminal Code to allow for a foetus to have legal standing, while in utero, so that a charge can be brought after its miscarriage against a person who deliberately or recklessly assaults a pregnant woman carrying that foetus while committing a crime.”
“This Bill can only be interpreted as giving the foetus in utero legal status at
conception. That would fundamentally change current Canadian law.”
The Canadian medical community, as represented by the various medical professional associations, have long been in full support of the radical feminist pro-abortion agenda. The position of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is identical to that issued by the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada.
Joyce Arthur, one of Canada’s foremost abortion activists, wrote last month, “The only reason to prefer Bill C-484 is to recognize the fetus itself as a victim, but this makes the fetus a separate legal person, in direct conflict with the rights of the pregnant woman. The problem of establishing legal personhood for the fetus, and its vast potential for harm to women, has already been discussed in our previous statements against Bill C-484.”
Pro-life advocates have repeatedly pointed out that the bill is “pro-choice”, and not a pro-life piece of legislation. Introduced in November 2007 by Conservative party MP Ken Epp, the bill allows for the foetus to be protected only if a pregnant woman wanted to bring the child to term.
In late August, Mr. Epp said, “I know the critics of C-484 will continue to spread misinformation. But I continue to hope that thoughtful, everyday Canadians, not influenced by political agendas or strident ideology, will continue to support C-484 – and about 70 percent of Canadians do, including the vast majority of women across the country.”
“Either that child matters so that attacks on pregnant women are more heinous, in which case Bill C-484 is a direct recognition of that reality; or that child doesn’t matter, in which case we don’t need any new law – the current provisions in the Criminal Code already cover the violence against the woman,” said Epp.
In late August, Mr. Epp announced he would not be scrapping his bill, despite an announcement by Justice Minister Rob Nicholson that the Conservative government will introduce similar legislation, a decision criticized as an obvious attempt to sink Epp’s Bill C-484.
“I definitely will not be withdrawing my bill. They’re quite different. I don’t intend to let up,” he said. He encouraged concerned Canadians to continue contacting their MPs in support of C-484.
Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Canada’s Abortion Militants Reiterate Condemnation of Unborn Victims of Crime Bill
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/aug/08080707.html
Conservative MP Epp Will Not Scrap Unborn Victims Bill
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/aug/08082614.html