NEWS RELEASE
“Is
the current definition of a human being adequate or does it need to be amended?
asks Breitkreuz.”
Yorkton
– Today, Garry Breitkreuz, MP for
Yorkton-Melville, appealed to Canadians to write their MPs in support of his
Private Member’s Motion M-392 that calls for the Standing Committee on Justice
and Human Rights to prepare a report on the laws protecting unborn children.
“I understand that not all Canadians hold opinions similar to mine that
life begins at conception; therefore, I want to use the democratic process to
determine what the majority of Canadians do think about this important issue,”
said Breitkreuz. The Saskatchewan
MP has raised this issue in Parliament on a number of occasions since being
elected in 1993. His most recent
motion is tentatively scheduled for debate on May 22nd.
M-392
states: That
the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights review the current definition
of "human being" in section 223(1) of the Criminal Code of Canada and
report (a) whether the law needs to be amended to comply with the United Nations
Convention on the Rights of the Child so as to provide appropriate legal
protection for a child before as well as after birth; and (b) whether the law
should be amended so that an unborn child is considered a human being at the
point of conception, when the baby's brain waves can be detected, when the baby
starts to move within the womb, or when the baby is able to survive outside the
womb.
Breitkreuz
explained, “The purpose of my motion is to determine the extent of legal
protection for an unborn child in Canadian law and whether the law needs to be
amended. Before M-392 goes into
debate, I need as many Canadians as possible to send me the answers to some key
questions.”
1.
Are you satisfied with the definition of a human being as it is currently
written? YES
or NO
Section 223(1) of the
Criminal Code of Canada states:
“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 whether or
not (a) it has breathed, (b) it has an independent circulation, or (c) the navel
string is severed.”
2.
If you think the definition of a human being needs to be amended, when do
you think an unborn child should be considered a human being or deserves legal
protection?
(a)
At the point of conception?
(b)
When the baby's brain waves can be detected?
(c)
When the baby starts to move within the womb?
(d)
When the baby is able to survive outside the womb?
(e)
At some other point during the pregnancy? Please
explain: ____________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
“Please send
a copy of your reply (postage free) directly to my Ottawa office and a copy to
your own Member of Parliament. After
14 years without any legal protection for unborn children, it’s time to find
out if Canadians are satisfied with the status quo,” concluded Breitkreuz.
-30-