At the Annual General Council Meeting of the Canadian Medical Association this August, Dr. Genevieve Desbiens brought forth a resolution to support section 223 of the Criminal Code of Canada which says a child “becomes a human being within the meaning of this Act when it has completely proceeded , in a living state, from the body of its mother…”
This was done of course in response to motion 312 proposed in the House of Commons by Member of Parliament Steven Woodworth which aims to establish a committee for the purpose of examining the scientific evidence on the beginning of human life. Mr. Woodworth has made the point that section 223 of the Criminal Code is a 400 year old law.
According to an Ottawa Citizen article, Dr. Desbiens said that “this attempt to modify the definition of a human being could legally recognize the fetus, which would give the fetus rights”… We must ensure that women seeking to terminate pregnancy and the doctors who support them and want to help them are not criminalized.”
The delegates voted in favour of her motion. The Canadian Medical Association’s support of section 223 is in direct conflict with the scientific evidence of human development. It is based on ideology and not biology.
The CMA has long supported abortion.
As a colleague asked:
“What are the doctors suggesting the child is before it’s a human being?
What species is a woman carrying for nine months?
Surgery can be performed on the child in the womb and technology has provided us with amazing images of the child awaiting birth.
Still, the CMA supports the wording of section 223 saying that a child is not a human being until it is born .
