** The second
hour of debate on M312 is scheduled for Sept 21
(1:30pm EDT), and the vote for Sept 26 (5pm EDT)**
Dear
Supporters,
A
dangerous anti-abortion motion was debated in Parliament in
April and is coming up for a second round of debate on Sept
21 and a vote on Sept 26. Motion 312 (see full
wording on
Conservative MP Stephen Woodworth's website) calls for a
Parliamentary Committee to examine whether the Criminal Code
definition of "human being" should be expanded to include
fetuses. This threatens to give legal personhood to fetuses
and allow the re-criminalization of abortion, as well as
deny the constitutional rights of all pregnant women.
Although the
motion is not expected to pass, we must send a strong
message to Parliament and anti-choice MPs that we will never
let anyone take
us back to the 1950’s on hard-fought reproductive rights for
Canadian women. Please
take action today to ensure a crushing defeat for Motion 312 in June.
Priority Action: Paper
petition - Please print copies (legal
size 11x14, or shrink to letter size 8-1/2 x 11) and gather
handwritten signatures, then return to Niki Ashton, Member of
Parliament, House of Commons, Ottawa ON K1A 0A6 (not to
ARCC). These will be
officially tabled in Parliament. (Click
here to understand the difference between our
online and paper petitions and how ARCC will use each.)
Priority Action: Sample
letter for anti-choice MPs - Please send this letter
(or write your own) to any or all anti-choice MPs and
those with an unknown stance, urging them to vote No on
Motion 312.
June 2012 - Sample letter for
your own MP - Please send this letter to
your own MP, or write your own. There is an alternate
sample letter here
that is longer.
April 2012 - Pro-choice
Postcards - Please ask a local union to print
these for free, or email
us if you want us to send you some. This is a free
service. (Postcard design by Haley Ritchie.)
March 2012 - Online Petition Opposing Motion 312 - Please sign our Internet petition against Motion 312.
September 24, 2012 - Notable
Canadian Women Oppose Motion 312. Fifty-nine women leaders, authors,
entertainers, politicians, union leaders, and others have
signed this letter opposing Motion 312. The signatories
ask that women MPs stand up for women’s rights and vote
against the motion.
September 16, 2012 - Dealing the Death Blow to the
“Justice Bertha Wilson Wanted to Restrict Abortion”
Argument - Anti-choicers’ Bertha Wilson argument
is "A tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury.
Signifying nothing."
September 7, 2012 - Anti-choice
failures are no reason to give them an inch. By Joyce Arthur
(published on www.rabble.ca). The Canadian women's movement
can't afford to look the other way. We must fight right-wing
attempts to erase women's gains, such as Motion 312, even if
those attempts have little chance of success.
March 2012 - Counter Arguments Against
Motion 312 - Conservative MP Stephen Woodworth's
motion to try and change the Criminal Code definition of
human beings to include fetuses is doomed to failure
because it negates women's rights.
April 2012 -
One-page fact
sheet on Motion 312 (pdf). Please email, or
print and distribute.
May 2012 - Hey
Parliament, Keep Your Laws Off my Body - Why
are we debating women's rights in the 21st century?
April 2012 - Motion 312: An
ignorant affront to global human rights standards -
A new international report on women's rights versus
fetal rights has arrived just in time to help demolish
Motion 312.
April 2012 - Written Debate on Motion 312 between Joyce Arthur (Executive Director of ARCC) and Conservative Member of Parliament Stephen Woodworth.
The Debate
on April 26, 2012:
Ongoing
news on the motion - Please join ARCC's Facebook page
for the latest updates on the motion (as well as other
reproductive rights news in Canada).
January 30, 2012 - Woodworth Poses Risk to Women's Health and Lives - Like the rest of the anti-abortion movement, Woodworth shows no recognition whatsoever of the human rights of women, or how giving rights to fetuses would harm pregnant women.
Upcoming Events:
Montréal:
Action
éclair pour dénoncer l’absurdité de
la Motion Woodworth (M312). Où : Parvis du Palais de justice à
Montréal, 1 Rue Notre-Dame Est. Quand : vendredi 21
septembre de 10h15 à 10h45. Afin de
souligner le caractère farfelu de l’idée de
donner un statut juridique au fœtus, la
Fédération des femmes du Québec et la
Fédération du Québec pour le planning
des naissances a préparé une comédie
des erreurs. Mise en scène : femme enceinte, avocat,
médecin, représentante de la compagnie
d’assurance et policière. Si vous être
intéressée pour être actrice
écrivez à sdecordes@fqpn.qc.ca.
Ottawa: Debate
Viewing Party, hosted by Radical Handmaids. Friday,
Sept. 21, 1pm EDT (debate starts at 1:30). CUPW
Boardroom, 377 Bank street, 1st floor. "Want to see
the debate on M-312 but just can't handle doing it alone? We
got you covered. Join us for a debate viewing party. We'll
have copies of our drinking game & some Kool-Aid.
Together, we can get through this. Not in Ottawa? Host your
own viewing party! Download our drinking
game, throw on some red and send us photos!"
Vancouver: Stand
Up for women's Right to Choose - Rally to Oppose
motion 312. Tuesday, September 25, 10 to 10:30am. Vancouver
Art Gallery (south side at Robson Street). This is a joint
event of The BC Federation of Labour and the Abortion Rights
Coalition of Canada. Bring signs if you can, and wear red or
a Handmaid's costume. Here's a poster (PDF) you
can download, print and distribute.
Everywhere: Radical
Handmaid's Drinking Game. When: Sept 26, 5pm EDT.
Where: In front of a TV tuned to CPAC.
Websites,
Facebook Pages to Join:
Oppose
Motion 312: Official Facebook page.
Radical
Handmaids (Facebook
page): The Radical Handmaids are pro-choice activists who
are fans of CanLit and really fabulous hats. Please 'Like'
them to join them!
If you're not on
Facebook, check out the Radical
Handmaids website.
Womb
Swarm Parliament - This Facebook page is a call
to arms for proud vagina owners and allies who believe in a
woman's right to choose. Knit, sew, crochet uteruses (uteri)
and vulvas to send to anti-choice members of Parliament (so
they can have one of their own and won't mess with yours!)
or to Ottawa for use in the Radical Handmaids action. (Note: the FB group is closed
but you can request to join. Patterns are available there,
or from this U.S. website. Another womb
pattern here.)
Note: If you're in Vancouver, please show off your lovely knitting at the Sept 25 rally at the VAG!
Spread
the Word: If you'd like
to encourage others to take action against M-312, here's
some text you can copy and paste into an email, tweet, or
Facebook post. Please inform your friends and colleagues, and
ask local progressive groups to spread the word to their
membership and networks. Thank you!
If
you know of an action or if you are planning one, please let us know so we can
post it here. Thank you!
Past Actions:
April 25, 2012 - Thousands Join Forces to Defeat Anti-Abortion Motion 312: A groundswell of opposition is building across Canada to a private member’s Motion 312 that would endanger abortion rights and the human rights of all pregnant women by attempting to establish legal personhood for fetuses.
To
donate or join, please print, complete and mail our Membership
& Donation form. Or,
you can pay via PayPal by clicking on the 'Make a Donation'
button on our homepage.
Thank you for your support!
This anti-choice website
reveals the planned agenda of Canada's anti-choice movement
for this motion: They want to bring forward the biology of
fetal development as "scientific evidence" that zygotes,
embryos and fetuses are human beings from conception and
deserve legal protection (they've also been talking about
ultrasound and sex
selection technology).
However, this would subordinate women to their fetuses and
eliminate many rights and legal protections for pregnant
women.