Killing of pregnant Ajax woman Arianna Goberdhan

The killing over the weekend of a pregnant woman in Pickering has sparked discussion over a perceived absence of legal protection for unborn children.

Durham police have charged Nicholas Tyler Baig with second-degree murder in the stabbing death of his wife, 27-year-old Arianna Goberdhan, who was found without vital signs by officers responding to a report of a domestic disturbance at a home on Winville Drive Friday, April 7. Police have confirmed that Goberdhan was nine-months pregnant, and that the child did not survive.

Baig, 25, remains in custody; he is scheduled to appear in Oshawa court by video Thursday.

Police continue to consult with the Crown about what charge Baig will ultimately face, Const. George Tudos said.

Some readers responding to coverage of the incident have expressed opinions that charges ought to be laid against individuals accused of offences that harm unborn children.
“It shouldn't even be a discussion on if he should get a second charge or not. He killed two people,” contributor Jenn Lynn Ware wrote on the Newsdurham Facebook page.
“I sure hope they charge him with two counts of murder,” responded Anne Cannavan. “That poor baby's life matters even though s/he wasn't born yet.”
The incident — and the visceral response to the allegations — indicate a will among Canadians for laws that make it an offence to harm unborn children, said Cathay Wagantall, a Conservative MP from Saskatchewan. Last fall Wagantall’s Bill C-225, dubbed Cassie and Molly’s Law in memory of a pregnant Windsor woman who was murdered, was defeated in the Liberal-dominated House of Commons.
Wagantall said her private member’s bill addressed the absence of Criminal Code protection for unborn children.
“There’s not a recognition of the value of that child in our legal system. There’s a gap in our law,” Wagantall said. “You’re not considered a human being in Canada until you’re fully born.”
Wagantall said her bill stalled because it was perceived as a potential infringement on abortion rights. But she insists the proposed law was meant to address criminal acts by a third party.
“The sad thing about this law is that it keeps getting hung up in that issue,” she said.
A poll of 1,000 Canadians — just three per cent of whom identified as pro-life — indicated 70 per cent of respondents supported the proposed legislation, Wagantall said.
“That to me clarifies that people see the value of human life in the womb,” she said. “(The response) is very much emotional, yes. But there’s also an understanding we should be protecting that woman and the child she chose to carry to term.”
Goberdhan’s killing appears to be exactly the kind of incident Bill C-225 attempted to address, Wagantall said.
“Her baby was nine months,” the MP said. “That child was viable.”
In a somewhat different circumstance, Toronto police have declared their intention to pursue a homicide charge in the death of a child delivered by C-section after his mother’s murder.
No one has yet been arrested for the death of Candice Rochelle Bobb, a passenger in a car that was targeted in a drive-by shooting on May 15, 2016. A premature child, named Kyrie, was delivered following the shooting, but died three weeks later.

A Pickering man now faces one count of first-degree murder for allegedly killing his newlywed wife and their unborn daughter.
When Durham Regional Police arrested Nicholas Tyler Baig last Saturday, about 24 hours after expectant mother Arianna Goberdhan was found slain at their home on Winville Ave., the 25-year-old had been wanted for second-degree murder.
But Const. George Tudos said earlier this week that investigators planned to talk to the Crown about the possibility of upgrading the charge to first degree, which is typically reserved for murders that involve planning and deliberation.
When Baig appeared in court Thursday via video from the Central East Corrections Centre for a bail hearing, Tudos said he was officially charged with the upgraded offence.
Goberdhan and her unborn daughter, who was due in two weeks, were found dead when officers responded to a domestic disturbance at the home near Brock and Taunton Rds. around 9:45 p.m. on April 7.
An autopsy determined the 27-year-old woman died of “sharp force trauma.”
The deadly attack has led to much debate about laying a second murder charge when pregnant women are killed.
Police have said investigators would explore the possibility of a second charge with the Crown.
But currently under Canadian law, a fetus is not considered a life until it breathes its first breath — something Goberdhan’s baby was days away from doing.
Baig is expected to appear in court again via video on April 28.

I will check

she is trini. he is guyanese