Mr. Speaker, I want to join in this debate to express my grave concerns about the motion and to indicate my opposition to the intentions of this resolution.
The motion is an attempt to undermine the hard won gains of women in the area of reproductive health. It is an attempt to undercut well established rights of women to choose when it comes to reproductive health. The motion attempts to reopen the abortion debate. It appears to be an ideological marker for an anti-choice agenda. It also appears to have the goal of changing federal law so that an embryo fetus is considered a person with rights separate and equal to that of a woman.
That is clearly an agenda about reopening the entire issue of a woman's right to choose on reproductive health matters. That debate has taken place in the House and across this land. That matter has been resolved. Canadians have spoken. The vast majority of Canadians have expressed their desire to ensure that the laws and programs of our government respect and reflect a woman's right to choose.
If the motion is not an attempt to reopen the abortion debate and it is instead an attempt to address the health concerns of pregnant women and the children they are carrying, then the emphasis is sorely misplaced. If that is the intent we will end up with nothing but legal wrangling and navel gazing at a time when urgent action dealing with the needs of children and the health of pregnant women is absolutely required.
If the member's intentions were to ensure that every child born in our society is loved, wanted and cared for, then he ought to put his energy and efforts into joining the thousands of Canadians fighting to ensure appropriate change and innovative programs to address those very needs. I do not need to tell the member the kind of situation we are facing when it comes to children in Canada or around the world. However, the debate is important because it begs the question: where does the member and his party stand when it comes to some of those critical issues?
I want to mention a couple of statistics to make that point. We just received another report from Campaign 2000 regarding the level of child poverty in Canada. As we debate the question about the legal interpretation of the rights of the fetus, 18.5% of all Canadian children live in poverty. Approximately 45% of those children are under the age of six.
What has happened since 1989 when we unanimously passed the motion in the House to eradicate child poverty by the year 2000? Child poverty went up 39% since 1989. Instead of one in seven children living in poverty, today one in five live in poverty. There is an agenda for members. If we were concerned about children, that is where we should put our priorities.
Some of us had the benefit of hearing Stephen Lewis speak at the parliamentary internship alumni association dinner a couple of nights ago. Stephen Lewis was passionate about his work as a special UN envoy in the sub-Saharan nations dealing with HIV-AIDS. He told us about a village in Namibia where there were papier mâché infant coffins, tiny boxes decorated with silver handles, that were made specifically to deal with the thousands of children who were dying every day from malnutrition and from HIV-AIDS and other preventable illnesses.
He told us about the millions of children who were orphaned in Africa because their parents had died from HIV-AIDS. He told us that almost half of those children would not have died if countries like Canada had taken its role seriously in terms of international aid and ensuring the provision of necessary drugs to prevent the spread of HIV-AIDS from the mother to the unborn child. There is an agenda for the member.
I would suggest that we leave this debate once and for all. The question of a woman's right to choose has been decided. Canadians have made a decision that is right with their values and appropriate for this country.
Let us now put our energies where it really matters, helping children who live in poverty, who are malnourished, who live in deplorable living conditions and who do not have access to basic shelter, food and clean water.
Let us put our energies into helping the pregnant woman give birth to a healthy child. Let us try to find a way for the government to finally act on such basic issues as preventing fetal alcohol syndrome. Why is it that we join together in this House to support a motion to do the simple thing of putting labels on alcohol beverage containers to warn pregnant women that drinking while they are expecting could cause fetal alcohol syndrome and the government will not act? Why is the Minister of Health now saying she has no intentions of moving on this issue?
Why can we not get a few changes to the bill on pesticides to reflect the needs of pregnant women and the children they are carrying and to prevent exposure to toxic synergistic materials?
Why does the government choose to cut its budget in the area of mental health which would make such a difference to women who are facing postpartum depression and who are unable to handle the challenges and responsibilities before them?
Why are we not investing in good prenatal programs, in nutritional programs, in child care arrangements and in support for young moms? Why are we not ensuring that every child born in this country today and around this world is born healthy, with all the love, care and attention that is so necessary for the future well-being of that individual?
I would suggest there is a lot of work to be done in this place. There is a lot of work to be done when it comes to children, to pregnant women and to functional healthy families. I would suggest this is not the way to go. The member's motion is a diversion and a distraction from the work at hand. We must put that debate aside, allow women the freedom they deserve to make responsible decisions in conjunction with their families and their doctors, with all the support and advice they need to carry a child to term without being judgmental and without engaging in legal navel gazing.
Is it not ironic, whether considering the member's motion or the action of the president of the United States, that so much effort is going into the issue of the rights of the fetus when we cannot get agreement on the rights of the child? Is it not interesting that the United States of America continues to object to the 1990 declaration of the universal rights of the child while putting all its energy into the unborn child?
I suggest those priorities are wrong. The needs are clear. Let us put our energies into helping all families, women and children with their daily health and living needs and conditions.