OTTAWA, March 24, 2016 (LifeSiteNews) — Canadians wanting to legally protect pre-born babies from assaults on their mothers have now been given a golden opportunity to have lawmakers hear their voices.
Earlier this week a petition appeared on the newly-minted Parliament E-petition platform asking the House of Commons to pass a proposed bill that would “recognize pre-born children as separate victims when they are injured or killed during the commission of an offence against their mothers, allowing two charges to be laid against the offender instead of just one.”
Once a minimum of 500 signatures are collected, the petition will be tabled and read in the House of Commons. The government is required to respond within 45 days. As of this writing the petition has already been signed by 1,500 people, three times the required amount.
In February pro-life MP Cathay Wagantall tabled a private members bill (C-225) titled Cassie and Molly's Law, named after Cassandra Kaake, a Windsor woman violently murdered in 2014, and Molly, her unborn daughter, who died in the womb.
“This is a stand-alone bill, not an effort to reopen the abortion debate. It should be supported by those who want choice for women; it protects women who have chosen to have their babies,” she told LifeSiteNews at that time.
The bill successfully sailed through the subcommittee on Private Member’s Business today and was deemed votable. It is now ready to be debated, though it remains unclear when this will happen.
The E-petition was initiated by Molly's father Jeff Durham and sponsored by Wagantall. The petition is open for signatures until July 20.
Johanne Brownrigg, a lobbyist for Campaign Life Coalition, is calling on all Canadians to sign the petition so as to send a strong message to the government.
“I encourage everyone to sign this petition. Sensitivity to the violence done to a pregnant woman is a Canadian value that should be codified in law, regardless of whether you're pro-life or not. A strong support from a broad base of Canadians will help to ensure that this bill passes,” she said.
Find E-183 (Unborn children) petition here.