House Motion Proposes New Criminal Offence for Murdering an Unborn Child

YORKTON, March 12, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Garry Breitkreuz, MP for Yorkton-Melville, has taken another bold step in his ten-year fight to protect the rights of unborn children.  Yesterday, he introduced Private Member’s Motion M-560 that calls on the government to create a new criminal code offence for the murder of an unborn child.  “Parliament must send a clear message to anyone contemplating using deadly force against a pregnant woman,” said Breitkreuz.  Motion M-560 states: That, in the opinion of this House, the government should introduce an amendment to the Criminal Code of Canada creating a new offence to ensure that any person who murders a woman knowing that she is pregnant, shall be charged with the murder of the unborn child.  “Statistics Canada doesn’t even keep statistics on the number of pregnant women that are murdered, said Breitkreuz.  “However, they did find two reports, one by the Maryland Department of Health that found that the leading cause of death among pregnant or recently pregnant women was homicide, and the second by Peel Regional Council in Ontario reporting that 21% of abused women were assaulted during pregnancy (Statistics Canada, 1994).”“I don’t know why Statistics Canada doesn’t collect this important life and death information.  But from the research available, it seems that pregnant women are more at risk of being assaulted and murdered.  This means that their unborn children are also at risk.  I’m not going to wait years for the Liberal government to get its act together.  Murderers should face two life terms if they murder a pregnant woman and her baby,” declared Breitkreuz.