Mr. Speaker, I am presenting a second petition, which draws the attention of the House to the fact that, in the current federal criminal law, a preborn child is not recognized as a victim in violent crimes. Today, when a pregnant woman in Canada is assaulted or killed, we offer no legal protection for the preborn child. Therefore, no charge can be laid specifically for the death of the child. The death or injury of a preborn child is a violation of a woman's right to protect and give life to her child.
The Kaake family of Windsor, Ontario, continues to grieve the loss of Cassandra and her preborn daughter, Molly. Cassandra was 31 weeks pregnant with Molly when they were brutally murdered in December 2014.
The petitioners are calling upon the House to pass legislation that would recognize preborn children as separate victims when they are injured or killed during the commission of an offence against their mothers, allowing two charges to be laid against the offender instead of one. We need to value choice.