Introduced as a private member’s bill. (These don’t often become law.)
Status
Defeated, as of June 2, 2021 (This bill did not become law.)
Summary
This is from the published bill.
This enactment amends the Criminal Code to make it an offence for a medical practitioner to perform an abortion knowing that the abortion is sought solely on the grounds of the child’s genetic sex. It also requires the Minister of Health, after consultation with representatives of the provincial governments responsible for health, to establish guidelines respecting information provided by a medical practitioner in relation to a request for an abortion.
This is a computer-generated summary of the speeches below.
Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.
Bill C-233 seeks to amend the Criminal Code to prohibit medical practitioners from performing abortions based solely on the fetus's sex and mandates federal health guidelines on abortion information.
Conservative
Discriminatory practice: Sex-selective abortion is a discriminatory practice based on sex, happening in Canada because there is no law against it.
Canada needs a law: Canada is the only democratic country without a law against sex-selective abortion, which is needed to protect preborn girls.
Addresses public concern: The bill responds to the vast majority of Canadians who oppose sex-selective abortion and want to see it legally restricted.
Focuses on discrimination: The bill does not seek to limit access to abortion generally but addresses the specific discriminatory practice of terminating a pregnancy based solely on the child's sex.
NDP
Opposes bill C-233: The NDP strongly opposes Bill C-233, seeing it as a direct attack on women's right to control their bodies and a move to reopen the abortion debate.
Not about gender equality: Members argue the bill is a "Trojan Horse" that does nothing to address gender equality but is a step toward regulating and eroding access to abortion services.
Ineffective and dangerous: Restricting abortion does not stop it; it only forces women to take more risks with dangerous, clandestine procedures, as history and international examples show.
Ensure equal access: True gender equality requires ensuring equal access to healthcare, including abortion, addressing systemic inequities like racism and poverty, and supporting women's organizations.
Bloc
Opposes the bill: The Bloc Québécois unequivocally opposes Bill C-233, viewing it as an anti-choice bill that attacks women's right to control their own bodies and access free, accessible abortions.
Bill is an anti-abortion tactic: Members argue the bill uses the fight against sex-selective abortion as a pretext for Conservatives to reopen the debate on abortion rights and find new legal grounds to criminalize the procedure.
Defends women's right to choose: The party stands with Quebec women in upholding the right to choose as a fundamental value, believing the decision to have an abortion rests solely with the woman.
Criminalization is wrong approach: While opposing sex-selective abortion, the Bloc rejects criminalizing the practice, arguing it is ineffective against the root cause (misogyny) and harms doctor-patient relationships and patient safety.
Liberal
Bill searches for a problem: The bill is unnecessary as there is no evidence of disproportionate sex-selective abortions in Canada; it risks stigmatizing racialized communities.
Bill harms women's rights: The bill risks criminalizing women and creating barriers to safe abortion access, negatively impacting their equality rights and security of the person.
Abortion is healthcare: Abortion is a medical decision between a woman and her doctor; legislators should not interfere with this relationship or women's bodies.
Address root causes: Combating gender discrimination requires addressing root causes like lack of education and promoting gender equality, not criminalizing women's healthcare decisions.
