VIOLENCE AGAINST PREGNANT WOMEN:

LETTER TO THE EDITOR RE: A THREAT TO RIGHTS

by Sarah Sonne
The Kitchener Record, August 6, 2008

In her letter to the editor on July 29th, Elizabeth Clarke states that "The bill [C-484] would amend the Criminal Code to allow homicide charges to be laid in the death of a fetus when a pregnant woman is attacked."

Bill C-484 is not a fetal homicide law. In order to be considered as such, it would have to classify fetus' as victims of homicide under the Criminal Code. It is not attempting to do that. Rather, it would create a new offense with similar sentencing to homicide, without granting person hood to unborn children. America can have fetal homicide laws because they also have restrictions on abortion, Canada does not. Bill C-484 also includes three important clauses. It explicitly excludes abortion, acts of good faith, and any act or omission of an act by the pregnant woman. Therefore this law would only protect a certain class of unborn children who are killed or injured during an attack on a pregnant woman, without giving fetus' autonomy, or giving the law any jurisdiction to prosecute pregnant women.

If Ms. Clarke had actually studied Bill C-484, she would see that all of her fears have already been taken into consideration. But evidently, she did not.

Sarah Sonne