APOLOGIA
By Hendrik van der Breggen
The Carillon, October
4, 2012
Reflections on
Motions 312 and 408
MP Stephen Woodworth's Motion
312 was defeated in the House of Commons last week by a vote of 203 to 91. I admit: I was disheartened—but not for long.
Subsection 223.1 of the
Criminal Code of Canada presently states that an unborn child isn’t a human
being until after it’s completely born. Large numbers of Canadians, however,
think that a child is a human being before it's born.
In the spirit of democratic political process, MP Stephen
Woodworth set forth M-312 to request that the Canadian government appoint a
special committee to investigate (using current medical science) whether it’s
true that the pre-born child isn’t a human being. The committee would also
study the legal implications for the rights of the child based on the findings
of this investigation and then report its findings to Parliament
Mr. Woodworth’s motion was eminently reasonable for all
concerned. But, as I mentioned, M-312 was defeated. And I was saddened at democracy’s
apparent failure
Happily, some reflections on M-312 restored my hope
in the democratic process.
I reflected on the fact that almost one third of the House
of Commons—including MP Rona Ambrose, Minister for the Status of Women—favoured
M-312. This is significant.
Also, I reflected on Mr. Woodworth’s remarks to reporters after
the defeat of Motion 312:
"Science and advances in modern understanding are going
to drag parliament into the twenty-first century despite the vote on Motion
312. Twenty-first century medical realities are going to prevent Parliament
from shielding subsection 223-1 forever. The sweep of history is on the side of
justice and human rights.... I'm a believer in democracy. The great thing about
democracy is that the House of Commons ultimately will respond to the will of
the people. And it sometimes takes a little work. I was thinking on the way
over here, and I probably am getting the statistics wrong, but I heard
something along the line that Abraham Lincoln ran 19 times before he
finally got elected.... I'm very confident that ultimately we will see a change
in the House of Commons that will reflect the desire to enshrine the dignity
and worth of every human being in Canadian law." (This is a small portion
of Stephen Woodworth's 34-minute video interview with reporters on CBC News.)
Mr. Woodworth’s comments inspired many, myself included.
But there is more. Shortly after the defeat of Woodworth's M-312,
MP Mark Warawa introduced Motion 408. M-408 seeks to outlaw sex-selective
abortion of baby girls. To which I say (shouted, actually): Yes!
And there is more. Shortly after the introduction of M-408, McGill University
"That unfettered access to abortion should be the
litmus test of whether a society respects women and their rights is a
long-standing claim of pro-choice advocates and at the heart of their rationale
for supporting unrestricted access to abortion. They focus on women’s rights to
autonomy and self-determination and argue that such access is required to
protect these rights and women’s dignity. But sex-selection abortion promotes
the exact opposite values—it expresses a lack of respect for women in cultures
in which sons are highly valued over daughters. It also differs from other
abortions in that the woman wants a baby—just not a girl. In one study reported
from India
in which 8,000 consecutive abortions were followed, three were of unborn boys
and 7,997 of unborn girls."
Should Canada's multicultural mosaic include sex-selective abortion? Surely not.
Speaking up for those who cannot speak for themselves—especially
children, whether born or unborn, female or male—is important. I encourage
readers to voice their support for Motion 408.
(Hendrik van der
Breggen, Ph.D., is assistant professor of philosophy at Providence University
College
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