Canada Lawmaker Responds to Liberal Criticism of Unborn Victims Bill
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
June 11, 2008
Ottawa, Canada (LifeNews.com) — The Canadian MP who is heading up the effort to protect pregnant women and unborn children and give them justice when they are violent attacked is defending his bill again from criticism. Liberal Party leader Stephane Dion recently attacked it as have MPs from Quebec.
Conservative MP Ken Epp stepped up efforts to defend the private member’s bill and said he has no "hidden agenda" behind it.
He accused opponents of the bill of running a "massive misinformation campaign" designed to make it look like an abortion bill that would place new limits on abortion.
In a press conference on Tuesday, according to a Canwest News Service report, Epp said the bill specifically exempts abortion.
"To those of you actively campaigning against this bill, I say this: Please stop frightening Canadians about the effect of the bill based on your misreading of it," Epp said.
Epp was joined by several French-speaking supporters of the bill, including family members of victims who say that they didn’t receive adequate justice after the attacks since the baby was not considered a victim.
No sooner did Epp end the press conference than three Bloc Quebecois MPs take to the podium to attack the bill and claim it prohibits abortions.
The Unborn Victims of Crime Act received second reading approval on a vote of 147 to 133.
But Dion promised recently that his party will block any vote on the bill.
The United States and 36 states across the U.S. have similar laws that have been used to hold criminals accountable in such crimes.
Epp is encouraged about the prospects for the bill because of a recent poll showing a strong majority of Canadians across the country support it.
The Vancouver-based Angus Reid Strategies conducted the poll and found 70 percent of Canadians support it while just 19 percent of the people in Canada oppose the measure.
The survey found 44 percent of Canadians strongly support the bill while 26 percent moderately support it. Another 11 percent are undecided.
Residents of the Atlantic provinces were most likely (82%) to support the bill along with those living in Alberta (79%) and Manitoba and Saskatchewan (79%).
Canadian citizens in Quebec and (63%) and British Columbia (64%) were less likely to support the bill but still felt Parliament should approve it.
ACTION: Use this web site to contact your member of parliament and express support for the bill.
Related web sites:
MP Ken Epp – https://www.kenepp.com
