I live-tweeted it, sort of.
After sponsor Cathay Wagantall blathered on about how carefully her bill was written to ensure it had zero zip nada effect on abortion -- choking up theatrically in the process -- Bill (The Liar) Blair, former top cop in Toronto and now MP and parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Justice, spoke.
Bill Blair using "fetus." Oh lord, I loathe Blair, but he might be speaking against #c225. #conflicted
— Fern Hill (@fernhilldammit) May 2, 2016
Blair pointed out that judges have, and have used, discretion in applying Canada's sensible notion of "aggravating factors" in sentencing people who assault or kill pregnant people. In other words, this bill is not necessary.
Blair: focus on domestic violence. (I'm hating this. Why couldn't some other Lib be saying this stuff.) #c225
— Fern Hill (@fernhilldammit) May 2, 2016
After Blair, Murray Rankin (NDP), David Graham (LPC), and Sheila Malcolmson (NDP) stated their opposition to the bill. All pointed to the need for more focus on domestic violence.
Fetus freaks and CPC MPs, Michael Cooper and Garnett Genuis (corrected name; thanks to Joyce in the comments) spoke in favour, mainly whingeing about "justice," which we know means "vengeance" in these people's mouths.
So, with the Liberals and NDP opposed, there is no chance C225 will pass.
Good.
On Twitter, I tried to engage supporters (who were using the hashtag #MollyMatters) to answer my question: How exactly does adding a charge for harming or killing a fetus "protect" anyone?
More blathering about justice, but the nearest I got to a coherent answer was "deterrence."
Problem with that is deterrence doesn't work to prevent crime.
Underlying #C225 is the nonsensical notion that person contemplating violence says to self: "Whoa, extra charge for pregnancy! Better not!"
— Fern Hill (@fernhilldammit) May 2, 2016
There will be more debate and a vote, but C225 is dead as a doornail.
Previous posts on C225:
Exploiting Grief to Attack Abortion Rights
Vengeance--and More--Drives "Unborn Victims" Law
It's Baaaack
Nope, This "Preborn Victims" Law Won't Pass Either.
5 comments:
I can't stand Bliar either, but he's the right guy to deliver this message. Fetus fondlers, especially pious ones, are authoritarians and they need to hear it from someone they can't write off as a "dirty hippy."
Good point. :)
Thanks fern, am going to check out your tweets now :-)
Actually it's Garnett Genuis (not sure how that's pronounced), his claim to fame is being the most talkative MP in Parliament.
fern hill:
Which tends to underscore yet again the value of a true big tent party like the Libs including even a piece of work like Blair. It is kind of hard for the pro-birthers to write Blair off as not knowing what he is talking about here when it comes to discussing "policing issues"/criminal justice, which is what this bill was ostensibly about (while yes, we all know the true purpose). Talk about cutting someone off at the knees!
I do feel your pain though at having to say something nice about Blair, but at least you can do this. This of course yet again shows why you are a sensible person worth listening to and not some sort of narrow and close minded ideologue like so many of your critics. Not that I ever had any doubts on that score of course.
In any event, nice to see the demise of yet another back door attempt to recriminalize abortion. We have managed to survive as a nation over a quarter century with no criminal abortion laws, only standard medical ones, and leaving this as a totally medical issue between patients and doctors, and there has not been the abortion apocalypse that the pro-birthers always shrieked was inevitable. Which is of course why they have gotten increasingly desperate and marginalized in our society, unlike alas our southern neighbours. The Justin Trudeau years are going to so suck for the pro-birthers, doesn't that just warm your heart?
@Joyce: Thanks for the correction. Blog-post is fixed now.
@Scotian: Yes, the pro-forced-birthers do NOT like JT atall atall. And it does warm my heart. :)
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