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Conservative MP Cathay Wagantall������Ƶapp private member������Ƶapp Bill C-225, which would have made it an additional criminal offense to injure or kill an unborn child while committing a crime against his or her mother, was defeated on second reading in the House of Commons on Oct. 19 by a 209-76 vote.

Despite tens of thousands of signatures and a poll showing nearly 70 per cent of Canadians would support such a bill, the vast majority of elected representatives chose to vote “against any conversation,” Durham said.

He pointed out the vote was not on a final bill, but on whether it would go to committee for further study. “It was voting on discussing the situation,” he said.

“They voted that this wasn’t a problem for them. They voted it shouldn’t be a woman������Ƶapp choice, but it should be anybody������Ƶapp choice to terminate a woman������Ƶapp pregnancy.”

Cassie Kaake was seven months pregnant with Molly when they were murdered in Windsor, Ont., in December 2014. Matthew Brush of Lasalle, Ont., has been charged with Cassie������Ƶapp murder and has undergone a preliminary hearing, but no additional charges were laid for Molly������Ƶapp death.

“We feel that the whole point has been missed,” said Durham, who has been driving his campaign for the bill through MollyMatters.org. “The whole point for us was protecting a woman������Ƶapp choice. Her choice to have an abortion is already protected. Nobody wants to protect her choice when she chooses to take her child to term.”

Meanwhile, Durham and all the people who loved Cassie and eagerly awaited Molly������Ƶapp birth, continue to await the outcome of the murder case, which has yet to go to trial.

“It������Ƶapp all been difficult,” he said. “The fact is, whatever the possible outcomes, with what is in place now, he will not be held accountable for the reality of the crime.

“Two lives ended. Two of our family members were brutally slain.”

Though Durham is not sure what he will do next, he said his campaign for justice will continue. He expressed gratitude for the level of support MollyMatters.org has received across Canada.

“We will keep on going even if nobody supported us,” he said. It is a matter of justice because the way the criminal justice system presently treats families like his and the many others who lose mothers and unborn children through violence creates a “massive indignity to the victims.”

“For us, it feels like we’re being re-victimized,” he said.

“In Canada, there is no component in the Criminal Code to protect pregnant women from violence. This gap is leaving women vulnerable,” Wagantall told the House of Commons Oct. 17 during the bill������Ƶapp second and final hour of debate.

Wagantall said a number of groups such as the Native Women������Ƶapp Association of Canada and the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime endorse her bill.

She rejected claims by opponents of the bill that it could affect a woman������Ƶapp access to abortion services.

“Because this bill would only affect existing crimes, and abortion is not criminal, Cassie and Molly������Ƶapp law would have no impact on abortion services,” she stressed.

“This vote tells us that our Members of Parliament are unwilling to take a small step in increasing consequences for violence against women in Canada,” said WeNeedaLaw.ca director Mike Schouten. “They continue to ignore cries for justice and instead allow fear of the abortion discussion to colour their decisions regarding women������Ƶapp health and safety.

“Medical teams will fight to save premature babies, yet our criminal justice system will not take a stand against violence targeting pregnant women. This devalues the choice of the hundreds of thousands of women each year who desire to carry their child safely to term.”