Joyce Arthur, photo via workingtv.com

Commentary: Joyce Arthur versus Ken Epp and Bill C-484

Commentary by John Hof, President Campaign Life Coalition BC

By LifeSiteNews.com

In the last two days the National Post has raised both sides of the issue of protecting the rights of wanted unborn children. (Bill C-484)

Bill C-484 can in no way be called a "Pro-life" Bill. It falls far short of any bill that would reflect the type of protection unborn children need in this country. For me C-484 is pure and simply a "common sense" piece of legislation meant to address what is clearly a huge hole in our justice system. More and more pregnant mothers are being attacked because they are just that, pregnant. They are frequently being targeted because they refuse to have an abortion. More often than not the perpetrator is the father of the unborn. There is no place in our law books for any charges against these people.

I take sides with Mr. Epp in this discussion. In fact Joyce Arthur should actually be doing the same. In an online brochure, which she authored, entitled "How to think about the fetus" she states and I quote, "A fetus becomes a person when the woman carrying it decides it does." Not at birth, or at four months or even at two weeks but when "the woman carrying it decides it" is a person.

Clearly the women and persons Mr. Epp's bill is trying to protect fall under Joyce's definition. The women decided they wanted to keep their unborn children. They did not want to abort them. They had "decided" therefore their fetuses had become "persons". Unfortunately, someone other than the mother then took it upon themselves to kill those newly formed persons. The perpetrators need to be punished to the fullest extent of the law. Mr. Epps bill seeks to do just that. Joyce must join hands with Mr. Epp because by not doing so, she abandons both her principles and the very women she purports to speak for.

She claims that there is no need for such a bill as there are already charges that could be laid in these cases. The only charges available however are for crimes against the mother. She also claims that this bill would not result in any more jail time for the convicted perpetrator as Canada has no ability to do consecutive sentencing. That logic would have our system only charge Willy Picton and Clifford Olson with only one murder. Willy Picton stands convicted and sentenced of six murders and the Crown is still considering proceeding with the other twenty charges.

I believe we are just seeing the tip of an iceberg with the growing number of cases surfacing where pregnant women and their unborn have been targeted. I also believe that the more we fail to protect these pregnant women and and their children, the more they become at risk of attack and death.

I hope Joyce comes to her senses and does not throw the wanted babies out with the bath-water just so she can cling to her pro-abortion agenda. She stands to lose a lot more than her credibility as a spokesperson for the Pro-choice movement.

New iPad POLL! VOTE NOW! Will you buy new iPad?

[04/04/2008]

Print Version