Pro-Choice or Not: parliament debate on Motion 312

Dan Parker discusses what it could mean to redefine when human life begins

by CKUT News Collective

On September 26th, Motion 312 was defeated in the House of Commons in Ottawa. Members of Parliament voted 203 to 91 against it. Rona Ambrose, Minister for the Status of Women, was amongst those who voted in favour. This came as a shock to many Canadian women and has led to outcries from feminists and petitions for Ambrose's resignation. Her reasoning: concern over the discrimination against young women through “sex selection abortion”. 

Motion 312 was issued by the Conservative MP Stephen Woodsworth, and it could have reopened the debate on the criminalization of abortion. It was proposed in order to re-examine the Criminal Code’s definition of human life and what constitutes as the start of it.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper opposed the motion and voted against it, but some members of his cabinet voted in favour. 

CKUT spoke with Dan Parker from the Reproductive Justice League. He discussed the implications of motion 312 and the recent protest in Montreal regarding this proposal. The interview took place on the 25th of September, the day before the vote.

Aired on: Tuesday's Off the Hour, September 25th, 17-18h.

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