Media Release<\/span><\/p>\n

For Immediate Publication<\/span><\/p>\n

September 21^{st<\/sup>, 2012<\/span><\/p>\n}

 Motion 312: Woodworth\u2019s Plea to MPs<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

OTTAWA, Ontario <\/span><\/strong>\u2015 MP Stephen Woodworth today urged Members of Parliament not to shield Canada\u2019s 400 year old definition of human being from democratic review or from advances in modern understanding.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis law, by denying the inherent worth and dignity of every human being, is the most unimaginably unjust law possible and has no place in Canada\u201d he said.  \u201cParliament should not treat it as frozen in time forever.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

When challenged about abortion, Woodworth points out that even Justice Bertha Wilson, who championed abortion rights in the Morgentaler decision, wrote that Parliament should review this question by \u201cinforming itself from the relevant disciplines,\u201d the very proposal embodied in Motion 312.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve heard that some Members of Parliament are wrestling with their consciences over Motion 312,\u201d Woodworth remarks. \u201cI say give in to your conscience; you are only useful to your Leader, your Party, and your constituents when you bring your conscience and your ideals to your decisions.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Limited by Parliamentary rules to five minutes, Woodworth\u2019s closing remarks are attached.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The vote on Motion 312 is expected on Wednesday, September 26, 2012.  To view the proceedings, please tune in to your local CPAC television channel or visit <\/span>www.cpac.ca<\/span><\/a><\/span> for a live podcast. <\/span><\/p>\n

-30-<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Closing Remarks \u2013 S. Woodworth<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

2^{nd<\/sup> Hour of Debate \u2013 Motion 312<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n}

September 21^{st<\/sup>, 2012<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n}

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Mr. Speaker, our great democracy was founded on the promise<\/span><\/strong> that two founding nations in conflict could reconcile their differences peaceably<\/span><\/strong>.  Generations of Canadians have lived<\/span><\/strong> – and died<\/span><\/strong> \u2013 to defend the dream of universal human rights and honest<\/span><\/em><\/strong> laws<\/span><\/strong> so necessary to fulfill that promise.  <\/span><\/p>\n

These ideals created unity out of diversity and made Canada a bright<\/span><\/strong> beacon<\/span><\/strong> of hope.<\/span><\/p>\n

The sweep of history for 400 years has brought ever greater recognition of the inherent worth and dignity of every<\/span><\/strong> human<\/span><\/strong> being<\/span><\/strong>.  That bedrock foundation anchors Canada\u2019s essential character.  <\/span><\/p>\n

We are here in Parliament to honour that vision of Canada.  We are here to seek out a spirit of compromise amid passionate debate.  We are here to embrace advancing knowledge in the service of universal<\/span><\/strong> human rights.<\/span><\/p>\n

Motion 312 honours those essential duties.  Motion 312 seeks merely to shine the light of 21st century knowledge upon our 400 year old law which decrees the dehumanization and exclusion of a whole class of people, children before complete birth.<\/span><\/p>\n

About abortion, I say this:  recognizing children as human before the moment of complete birth will not resolve that issue.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even Justice Bertha Wilson, who championed abortion rights in the Morgentaler decision, wrote that Parliament should \u201cinform itself from the relevant disciplines\u201d, the very proposal embodied in Motion 312.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recognizing the reality that children are human beings before complete birth will affirm the hallowed principle that human rights are universal<\/span><\/strong>, not<\/span><\/strong> a gift of the State which may be cancelled by subsection 223(1).<\/span><\/p>\n

It would be a triumph of leadership to insist that our definition of human being must not remain frozen in time forever, immune<\/span><\/strong> from the light of advancing knowledge, immune<\/span><\/strong> from democratic governance, and immune<\/span><\/strong> from the spirit of open dialogue.<\/span><\/p>\n

It would honour<\/span><\/strong> our commitment to honest laws to recognize a child\u2019s worth and dignity as a human being before<\/span><\/strong> the moment of complete birth if the evidence establishes that as fact.<\/span><\/p>\n

It would fulfil<\/span><\/strong> our shared<\/span><\/strong> vision<\/span><\/strong> of Canada to allow, despite extreme and intransigent opposition, a mere study about human rights even if modern evidence might cause some<\/span><\/strong> to question our laws.<\/span><\/p>\n

Or will Parliament reject those Canadian ideals? Is THAT<\/span><\/strong> what Parliament has come to?<\/span><\/p>\n

I thank, and many Canadians thank, the Members who stand with me against that dismal view.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet we in Parliament cannot ourselves sustain – we cannot protect \u2013 we cannot without help safeguard \u2013 this great vision of Canada.  The hope of a Canada governed by honest<\/em> laws rests in the heart of every<\/span><\/strong> Canadian.  The pledge <\/span><\/strong>offered by countless Canadians to the high principle of universal human rights will not be overcome by any decision of this Parliament.  We may safely place our confidence in the certainty that Canadians will not rest content with the perpetual absence of open dialogue on this issue.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is no more noble<\/span><\/strong> undertaking than to fulfill that essential promise of Canada.  Join<\/span><\/em> me in the conversation so necessary to reconcile Canadians.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thank you.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Media Release For Immediate Publication September 21st, 2012  Motion 312: Woodworth\u2019s Plea to MPs OTTAWA, Ontario \u2015 MP Stephen Woodworth today urged Members of Parliament not to shield Canada\u2019s 400 year old definition of human being from democratic review or from advances in modern understanding. \u201cThis law, by denying the inherent worth and dignity of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3014,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[61],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.weneedalaw.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/281"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.weneedalaw.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.weneedalaw.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.weneedalaw.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3014"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.weneedalaw.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=281"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/test.weneedalaw.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/281\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5441,"href":"https:\/\/test.weneedalaw.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/281\/revisions\/5441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.weneedalaw.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.weneedalaw.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.weneedalaw.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}