Source: Wikipedia

Canada’s House of Commons voted down a Private Member’s Bill from Saskatchewan Conservative MP Cathay Wagantall that aimed to strengthen protections for vulnerable pregnant women – amid progressives falsely claiming the bill was anti-abortion. 

Bill C-311, titled ​​the Violence Against Pregnant Women Act, had nothing to do with abortion.

The bill would have amended the Criminal Code of Canada and added abusing and causing physical or emotional harm to a pregnant woman to the list of “aggravating circumstances” during the sentencing process.

This would have meant that an offender could have received a harsher sentence for assaulting a pregnant woman.

113 MPs voted in favour of Bill C-311, while 205 MPs voted against it.

The 113 MPs who supported the bill were all Conservative. All Liberal, NDP, Bloc Quebecois and Green MPs present voted against it. Independent MPs Han Dong and Alain Rayes also voted against the bill.

Before the vote on C-311 took place, Liberal, NDP and Bloc Quebecois politicians shared their opposition to it – again claiming that the bill is anti-abortion. 

“Bill C-311 proposed by the conservatives is yet another in a series of transparent attempts in order to give a legal status to a fetus here in Canada,” said Liberal MP Rachel Bendayan at a press conference. Meanwhile, Liberal MP Jenna Sudds claimed that the bill “is a means to an end, which is to criminalize pregnant people experiencing miscarriages and eventually criminalizing abortions.”

NDP MP Heather McPherson claimed that there was no need or rationale for the bill aimed at protecting pregnant women, adding that the latter was actually “dangerous to women in Canada and it is dangerous to women around the world.” 

Meanwhile, Bloc Quebecois MP Rheal Fortain said his party would be voting against Bill C-311 because “today’s debates on this subject are out of date and I would even say, with all due respect, out of place.”

During debate on Tuesday, Liberal MP Mark Gerretssen also gave the middle finger to Conservative MP Kerry-Lynne Findlay. 

It is important to note that the word “abortion” was not mentioned anywhere in the text of Bill C-311.

Over 80 pregnant women in Canada have been killed in recent years. 

These women include 18-year-old Rori Hache, who was killed by a man who repeatedly hit her in the head with a hammer or similar object, and 31-year-old Cassandra Kaake who was killed by a man who strangled her, slit her throat, poured gasoline on her and set her house on fire.

Supporters of Bill C-311 had hoped passing the legislation would have brought greater justice to victims.

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