Conservative MP Stephen Woodworth in Ottawa, September 25, 2012. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
September 26, 2012 - 4:00 AM
OTTAWA - Members of Parliament vote today on a controversial motion that would reopen the abortion debate.
Conservative MP Stephen Woodworth insists his private member’s bill is not about criminalizing abortion.
He says it’s only about getting scientific and legal information to determine whether a fetus should be declared a child before birth.
His motion, if adopted, would see Parliament appoint a 12-member committee to study the definition of human being.
Prime Minister Harper has said he’ll vote against the motion since his party committed during the last election not to reopen the abortion debate.
New Democrat Niki Ashton says Canadian women will watch this vote closely.
The Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada will also be watching the vote after collecting nearly 20,000 signatures in an online petition against the bill.
Joyce Arthur, the group’s executive director, says most Canadians are pro-choice and "do not want Parliament debating once again whether a woman has the right to choose abortion."
News from © The Canadian Press, 2012