The Canadian Parliament defeated Motion 312 on a 203-91 vote. The motion says Canada should re-examine when human life begins and has sparked a national debate about the issue of abortion.
Immediately after the vote, the Campaign Life Coalition, one of the major pro-life groups in Canada, said it was not deterred by the results, tweeting, “No matter, this motion succeeded in creating a necessary debate.”
Acknowledging that the defeat of Motion 312 will disappoint the thousands of Canadians who took time to express their support,sponsoring MP Stephen Woodworth vowed to fight on against the denial of the worth and dignity of every human being.
“I will be there to encourage and to speak out in defence of the Canadian values championed by Motion 312” he said. “If possible, I’ll travel the country to talk about the very, very grave importance of enshrining in Canadian law the equal worth and dignity of every human being.”
Woodworth called on Canadians to redouble their efforts to promote the view that democratic institutions, honest laws and every human being are more important than preoccupation with abortion or any other agenda or ideology.
Motion 312 proposes that, with so many significant advances in medicine, Parliament should revisit Canada’s current definition of human being. In the Canadian Criminal Code, Section 223 states that “a child becomes a human being within the meaning of this Act when it has completely proceeded, in a living state, from the body of its mother.”
During the debate, Woodworth urged Members of Parliament not to shield Canada’s definition of human being from democratic review or from advances in modern understanding.
“This law, by denying the inherent worth and dignity of every human being, is the most unimaginably unjust law possible and has no place in Canada” he said. “Parliament should not treat it as frozen in time forever.”
When challenged about abortion, Woodworth points out that even Justice Bertha Wilson, who championed abortion rights in the Morgentaler decision, wrote that Parliament should review this question by “informing itself from the relevant disciplines,” the very proposal embodied in Motion 312.
“I’ve heard that some Members of Parliament are wrestling with their consciences over Motion 312,” Woodworth remarks. “I say give in to your conscience; you are only useful to your Leader, your Party, and your constituents when you bring your conscience and your ideals to your decisions.”
Woodworth’s private member’s motion would set up a special parliamentary committee to examine the current definition of a human being. That definition says a child becomes human when it has fully exited its mother’s body. MPs spent an hour last April debating the motion. Friday was the second allotted hour of debate. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has repeatedly said Canadians don’t want to reopen the debate on abortion. He said last April that he would vote against Woodworth’s motion.
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