Bill C-225: Cassie and Molly’s Law

Member of Parliament for Yorkton-Melville, Cathay Wagantall, has just introduced a new private members bill: Bill C-225 Cassie and Molly’s Law. This was one of the legislative initiatives we heard about at U of T in September as part of the WeNeedALaw Life Tour!

WeNeedALaw explains:

There will be more analysis in the coming days and weeks but here’s a quick rundown of what Bill C-225 WILL DO:

• Create new offences in the Criminal Code for injuring or causing the death of a pre-born child during the commission of a criminal offence against a pregnant woman.
• Add pregnancy to the list of aggravating factors for sentencing. This means that even if the pre-born child is not injured or killed, the courts can come down harder on anyone who is convicted of violence against a pregnant woman.
• This bill will protect a woman’s choice to bring her child to term safely and protects the life of that child through criminal law.

Here are a couple things that Bill C-225 will NOT do:

• Penalize a pregnant woman for any harm done to her pre-born child. The new offences in Bill C-255 can only apply when the pregnant woman is the victim of a crime.
• Bill C-225 will not change the status quo regarding abortion.
• The bill does not change the legal definition of a human being. Instead, it creates new offences to cover the specific circumstances whereby a pre-born child is harmed or killed during the commission of an offence against the child’s mother.

Is Bill C-225 an imperfect law? Yes, it is. Will it stop abortions? No, abortion will still be completely legal. But, it is a step in the right direction. Cassie and Molly’s Law is not the ultimate answer, but it will protect the human rights of children whose mothers have chosen to carry them to term. And, as we often say, “We need to embrace opportunities to protect some as we work towards protecting all.”

What can you do to support this bill?

• Send one of our new Simple Mail letters specific to Cassie and Molly’s Law
• Follow our updates on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and share them with your friends and followers
• Watch and share the powerful short video released by the Molly Matters campaign.
• Keep Ms. Wagantall, Jeff Durham and the Molly Matters campaign in your thoughts and prayers.