Motion 408 to condemn gender discrimination starting in the womb deemed non-votable

(Ottawa) – Today, the Institute of Marriage and Family Canada is shocked to learn that a three member sub-committee of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs declared a non-binding motion to condemn sex selection abortion “non-votable.”

There are no clear reasons why this motion should not have passed the votability requirements.

M-408 was brought forward by Member of Parliament Mark Warawa and called for the following: “That the House condemn discrimination against females occurring through sex-selective pregnancy termination."

Motion 408 would have made a simple and yet important statement that Canada unilaterally condemns gender discrimination against women, starting in the womb. Declaring the motion non-votable means the House of Commons will not discuss and debate the issue, which would have helped shed light on this abhorrent practice.

M-408 would have uniformly condemned the practice of sex selection. However, as a motion, not a bill, there would be no legislation associated with the matter.

“92% of Canadians believe gender discrimination starting in the womb is wrong. That our elected officials want to shy away from discussing this puts them at odds with the general public. The House of Commons is a place to represent Canadians, not refrain from dialogue and debate for political reasons,” says Andrea Mrozek, Executive Director of the Institute of Marriage and Family Canada.

“By all objective standards, M-408 should have passed and moved forward in our democratic process. We will be tracking with this to learn more,” concludes Mrozek.

For further information please contact Andrea Mrozek, Executive Director, Institute of Marriage and Family Canada at 613-565-3832 ext. 7502 or andream@imfcanada.org

Download the press release below