It's time to debate abortion

McGill's medical ethics and law director lists the issues

Conservative MP Stephen Woodworth,
author of Motion-312.

The Ottawa Citizen has an informative opinion piece by Margaret Somerville, director of the McGill Centre for Medicine, Ethics, and Law, who concludes it's time to have an abortion debate in Canada:

Pro-choice advocates have passionately opposed MP Stephen Woodworth’s private member’s motion to set up a parliamentary committee to examine the definition of “human being” in the Criminal Code, arguing “there is nothing to discuss.” This definition provides that “a child becomes a human being” only at birth. They fear a discussion could result in some legal recognition of unborn children and the enactment of some law governing abortion.

The Canadian Medical Association has just adopted a resolution also recommending that parliamentarians should vote against such a discussion. They, too, are concerned that parliamentarians might agree that some law is needed and physicians would then run the risk of becoming criminals and going to jail. Obviously they must not believe that their members would obey the law.

Pro-life advocates want the debate.

So what are the issues? 

Read the full story on the Ottawa Citizen website.