In our political system in Canada, many proposed laws (bills/motions, etc.) are prepared and crafted for consideration. They help shape the country that we are, guide how our nation is governed and illustrate the way of life that Canadians are known for around the world.
Most pieces of legislation are presented by a governing political party. Some are supported across party lines and votes take place to determine whether such a proposal will become law.
Private members bills have a very different trajectory. Proposed by a single member of a party not part of the cabinet, they are often not approved or endorsed by fellow members of the party. They very rarely pass into law yet provide an opportunity for elected members to bring forward ideas for discussion and dialogue.
When it comes to pro-life legislation in Canada, all mainstream parties identify the issue as a political hot potato and steer clear of it in general terms. It's an interesting contrast to the American political system where the discussion around abortion and right to life was front and centre in recent Republican and Democratic conventions in very different ways.
Motion 312 is currently before Canada's Parliament, tabled by Kitchener-Center Member of Parliament, Stephen Woodworth. It's defined as "studying Canada's definition of a human being." If you read the motion, it's a relatively straight forward proposal, asking for a review of Canada's Criminal Code that states a child becomes a human being only at the moment of birth.
As Catholics, we firmly believe that life begins at the moment of conception. Yet our criminal code seems to suggest otherwise. Motion 312 provides an opportunity for us to affirm that belief, to dialogue with our elected representatives and respectfully express our views to them.
There are many within the Catholic community, people of other faiths and no faith at all that have been working on life issues for decades, trying to re-open the debate and determine the best way to move pro-life legislation forward in our country.
While not prepared by the Archdiocese of Toronto, some facts and background information on Motion 312 have been prepared by concerned Catholics. Below you'll find some of this information along with suggestions on how to voice your opinion to your local MP (thanks to Diana Reynolds for sending the resources along).
In an increasingly secular environment, it takes real courage for politicians to table legislation that promotes life at all stages. It's certainly not for political gain. Quite the opposite. They are often ridiculed or stereotyped, sometimes relegated to the back benches and dismissed as radical, divisive or trying to push their morality as part of an "agenda".
It's time we start having the discussion. Every one of us was carried in the womb until our birth. We didn't have a voice then. We have one now. Let's use it.
Motion 312
- When Am I Human?
What is Motion 312
about?Motion 312 calls for the creation of a special committee in the Parliament to review the definition in Canadian law that a child becomes a human being only at the moment of complete birth.
Section
223 of the Criminal Code of Canada uses a definition of human being which is at
least 400 years old. Canada borrowed this law from British common law, where it
can be dated back to as early as 1642.
Section
223 (1) of the Criminal Code states that "a child becomes a human being
when it has fully proceeded, in a living state, from the body of its
mother..." Therefore if a toe is still left in the birth
canal, that child is not considered a human being yet and therefore has no
human rights in Canada.
Apart
from a declining number of US States, only three other countries in the world
now share Canada's refusal to recognize or protect the interests of children as
human beings until the moment of complete birth: China, Vietnam, and North
Korea.[1]
The Motion is scheduled for parliamentary debate
on Friday September 21, 2012 at 1:30 pm ET and the final vote will be held
on Wednesday September 26, 2012. Both the debate and the vote can be viewed on your local CPAC
television channel or by visiting www.cpac.ca for a live podcast.
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Where Can I
Learn More About Motion 312?Kitchener Centre MP (Federal) Stephen Woodworth introduced Motion 312. Please see his website for the full text of the Motion: http://www.stephenwoodworth.ca/canadas-400-year-old-definition-of-human-being/motion-312.
Since abortion was decriminalized in Canada, over 3 million abortions have been performed. Almost 1 in every 4 pregnancies in the country ends in abortion. For more information about abortion in Canada see: http://www.campaignlifecoalition.com/shared/media/editor/file/AbortionFactSheet-CLC.pdf.
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How Can I
Support the Motion?If you would like to see ‘human being’ defined according to current medical evidence, make your voices heard before September 26th. To support Motion 312, you can:
·
Sign a petition and
collect signatures
Print out a copy of the petition form at: http://weneedalaw.ca/images/woodworth.pdf. Completed petitions should be submitted to
your Member of Parliament (MP) or to Kitchener Centre MP Stephen Woodworth.
·
Meet with your Member
of Parliament to express your views
Approaching your MP may seem daunting. Consider
these tips and discussion points for the meeting: http://weneedalaw.ca/index.php/resources/tipsforaproductivevisitwithyoump.
·
Write a letter to your
Member of Parliament
Create
your own letter or use a template. For ideas about what to write, see sample
letters at the following websites: o http://www.letters4life.ca/form-letters.php
o http://weneedalaw.ca/index.php/simplemail/sm4-motion-312
o http://www.evangelicalfellowship.ca/page.aspx?pid=7724
Letters can be sent to your MP, the Minister of Justice and the Prime Minister. Mail can be sent postage-free to any Member of Parliament at the House of Commons address:
Name
of Member of Parliament
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada
K1A 0A6
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada
K1A 0A6
·
Not sure who is the
Member of Parliament for your riding?
You can search by postal code, using this
government website: http://parl.gc.ca/ParlInfo/Compilations/HouseOfCommons/MemberByPostalCode.aspx?PostalCode=N2H6R9&Submit=Find&Language=E.
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[1]
“Do All Humans Have Human Rights?”, When Am I Human, online at: http://www.whenamihuman.com/about.html.
2 comments:
Thanks for helping to raise awareness of Motion 312! It's an uphill battle, but definitely a conversation we need to have as a people and nation.
A few observations
400 years ago according to science known and understood at the time the unborn were NOT human beings, but it was illegal to destroy these "non human" beings.
Today medical science tells us they are human(they can't be anything else: not cancers, not viruses, bacteria, not feline, bovine, canine, equine, etc etc) and yet it is legal to destroy them.
Something was gained yet something was lost.
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