Oppose Bill C-484, “Unborn Victims of Crime Act”
A private member’s bill called The “Unborn Victims of Crime Act” (C-484), passed Second Reading in Parliament on March 5. This bill would amend the Criminal Code to allow separate homicide charges to be laid in the death of a fetus when a pregnant woman is attacked. If passed, this bill would be an unconstitutional infringement on women’s rights, and would likely result in harms against pregnant women. It is a key step towards re-criminalizing abortion, but it could also criminalize pregnant women for behaviours perceived to harm their fetuses.
Action Items
Organizations: Please sign the open statement opposing Bill C-484.
Individuals: Please sign our online petition opposing the bill.
Paper petition: Print out our paper petition (on 8-1/2 x 14 paper) to gather signatures from people outside cyberspace.
Please send a letter opposing the bill to your MP.
Please donate to our campaign. We need your support, thank you!
Articles, Statements, Press Releases
New: Expect a Bill C-484 Clone Soon – The Conservative Party has passed a resolution to support another bill just like Bill C-484.
Talking Points Against the “Unborn Victims of Crime Act” – 14 arguments explaining why this is a bad law, endangering both abortion rights and women’s rights in general.
C-484 Brief: A 3-page summary of the problems with Bill C-484, compiled by an ad-hoc group of pro-choice and women’s organizations, including ARCC.
Bill C-543 Far Better Than Bill C-484: A private member’s bill that would mandate harsher penalties for attacks against pregnant women is a useful political tool against Bill C-484, and would advance (not endanger) women’s reproductive rights and equality.
A Fetus is a Fetus, Not an “Unborn Baby”: Complaints of “Misinformation Campaign” Against Bill C-484 are Misinformed, by Joyce Arthur.
Joyce Arthur’s Rebuttal to Ken Epp: Bill C-484 Endangers Abortion Rights and Women’s Rights by Establishing Fetal Personhood.
Statements from other groups opposing Bill C-484 –
Read statements opposing Bill C-484 from a wide variety of groups, including anti-domestic violence groups, women’s shelters, labour unions, legal associations, medical organizations, and pro-choice groups.
Lessons from the U.S. Experience with Unborn Victims of Violence Laws – Read the evidence from the U.S., where pregnant women have become the primary arrest targets of UVVA and feticide laws. Instead of targeting those who attack pregnant women, these laws have been transformed into tools for policing pregnant women themselves. (Written for ARCC by Lynn Paltrow, Executive Director of National Advocates for Pregnant Women, of New York).
The Case Against a “Fetal Homicide” Law – Creating a law to allow murder charges on behalf of fetuses would be an unconstitutional infringement on women’s rights. Updated from our original position paper written in November 2007.
Joyce Arthur’s op-ed piece in Edmonton’s Vue Weekly, May 15-08: Bill C-484 poses major threats to abortion rights, women’s rights.
Joyce Arthur’s op-ed piece in the National Post April 1-08: Bill C-484 isn’t about protecting pregnant women, it’s about recriminalizing abortion.
ARCC’s Feb 29-08 press release: Canadians oppose “fetal rights” bill.
ARCC’s Nov 23-07 press release: Bill to protect fetuses would hurt pregnant women.
Joyce Arthur’s op-ed piece in the Ottawa Citizen Feb 27-08: Fetal Homicide Bill Poses Conflict of Rights.
Joyce Arthur’s op-ed piece in the National Post Nov 13-07: Fetal Homicide Laws are not the Answer.
The danger of Canada’s Bill C-484: How the U.S. federal “Unborn Victims of Violence Act” can be used to overturn the legal right to abortion, according to anti-abortion terrorist James Kopp.
