June
10, 2008
Below is a sample letter you can email to your MP opposing Conservative
MP Ken Epp's private member's bill C-484, "Unborn Victims of Crime
Act." The bill passed Second Reading on March 5
and is now with the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights
(JUST) for review. You can just
copy and paste the sample
letter into an email or your word processing program. Feel free to
edit the letter or write your
own.
Please look up your MP here: http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Parlinfo/Compilations/HouseOfCommons/MemberByPostalCode.aspx?Menu=HOC
You can also send your letter to the Standing Committee on
Justice and
Human Rights:
Miriam Burke, Clerk of
the
Committee
Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights
Sixth Floor, 131 Queen
Street
House of Commons
Ottawa ON K1A 0A6
JUST@parl.gc.ca
Also,
please visit your MP to register your opposition to the
bill. You
can give them a copy of our Talking
Points against the bill. Also use these Talking Points to help
write your own letters or emails.
Dear ________
I'm writing to register my opposition to Conservative
MP Ken Epp's private member Bill C-484, the "Unborn Victims of Crime
Act." I urge you to please oppose this bill in
Parliament.
This bill is a backdoor attempt to
re-criminalize abortion by giving fetuses a form of legal personhood.
Mr. Epp's bill is being promoted
only by religious groups and anti-abortion groups and individuals, some
of whom expect to
use the law (if passed) to restrict abortion. The bill
flies in the face of Canadian legal precedent supporting the equality
rights of women, including pregnant women's sovereignty over their
fetuses (Supreme Court's Dobson vs. Dobson, 1999). Further, his bill
establishes personhood for fetuses, negating the Criminal Code
definition, which says "A child becomes
a human being ... when it has completely proceeded, in a living state,
from the body of its mother." It would degrade the rule of law in this
country to enact a contradictory law that throws women's rights into
confusion.
Further, although Mr. Epp's
bill exempts both abortion and pregnant women from prosecution, similar
laws in some U.S. states have been used to target pregnant women
anyway, for actions perceived to harm their fetuses (See the website of
National Advocates for Pregnant Women, at: http://advocatesforpregnantwomen.org/issues/unborn_victims_of_violence_act/) In practice, these "feticide" laws create a
dangerous
slippery slope towards the criminalizing of pregnant women for
behaviours that are not criminalized for anyone else.
I'm greatly saddened by the horrific tragedies of pregnant
women being murdered by their husbands or boyfriends. But the real
issue here is domestic violence against women. Homicide is a
leading cause of death for pregnant women. Instead of
supporting Mr. Epp's bill, could you please advocate instead for more
resources to reduce violence against pregnant women? Also, the law
already allows more serious penalties to be imposed for third parties
who attack pregnant women, so this bill is unecessary. I urge you to
please oppose this bill to ensure that both abortion rights and the
rights of pregnant women are respected.
Thank you very much,
Sincerely,