This was announced about ten minutes ago.
The federal government will introduce new legislation that will punish criminals who commit violence against pregnant women, Justice Minister Rob Nicholson said at a news conference in Ottawa on Monday. Nicholson said the bill will “leave no room for the introduction of fetal rights.” The bill is aimed at protecting women from violence, he said.
…
Opponents to the bill, called the Unborn Victims of Crime Act, raised concerns that the bill would reopen the debate on abortion in Canada.
“Let me be clear, our government will not reopen the debate on abortion,” Nicholson said Monday.
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Update: The Globe has an article on the same topic here. A small note on style–if “unborn victims” gets quotation marks, then I’d ask also that “abortion rights” be consistently referred to with quotation marks. The “right to abortion” is much more imaginary (and never confirmed by the Supreme Court of Canada) than those “unborn victims”–who we can view via a thing called “the ultrasound.”
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What would it take to get a federal politician that actually would discuss abortion? I find myself jealous of the US, where a serious contender for the top job can state publicly that he is strongly pro-life.
Hopefully we never cave in and allow abortion here on PEI….
I thought this article was interesting:
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2008/08/25/jacqueline-murray-a-brief-history-of-baby-killing.aspx
It discusses where murder begins and infanticide ends. Not only is abortion not murder, but the killing of a child under the age of one isn’t either!
By the time most women realize they are pregnant they are at least 2 months along. So that is about 7 months of uncomfort if they absolutely do not want to be a mother. There is no obligation whatsoever under the law after that. You can leave the hospital after the birth without the infant, refuse to provide it any care or shelter whatsoever and be charged with nothing. He or she will be taken care of by the State until an adoptive home is found (and there are long waiting lists). This is what I want our politicians to say to pro-choicers! I would like pro-choicers to look these “unwanted” children in the eye once they are old enough to comprehend and tell them that they support terminating them.
At the news conference a journalist asked what the difference was between Nicholson’s position and that of Barack Obama.
Deborah
Well, we may have just come a step closer to that reality. Dion found God on the Michael Coren Show the other day.
I honestly wish I weren’t laughing so hard at him.
It sounds to me that the opponents of the Unborn Victims of Crime Act have in fact reopened the debate on abortions all by themselves just by talking about it.
At least everyone is now talking about abortion even though they keep insisting publicly that nobody wants to open it.
If there is no law in the land the issue is not closed.