Death by Senate Committee

So many strong parental rights and pro-life bills this session died in the Senate, where only one Democrat vote on the Senate floor would have secured their passage. A few of the best bills would have won that vote if they had actually made it to the floor.  

HB 511, the “Tebow bill,” would have allowed homeschoolers to participate in public school sports programs. Democrat Senator Lynwood Lewis (D-Accomac) supported the bill, but it failed in the Senate Education and Health Committee 7-8, even though Lewis was on that committee and voted for it. Since Democrats have the majority in the chamber, even by the slimmest of margins, they have the power to stack committees with their members, so the Senate Education and Health Committee has nine Democrats and only six Republicans.

Democrat leadership exercised their muscle even more when HB 304, a born alive human infant protection bill carried by Delegate Nick Freitas (R-Culpeper), made it to the Senate. Keep in mind that this bill simply states that a child who survives an abortion, who is alive and outside his or her mother’s body, must receive the same medical care to preserve his or her life and health as any other child. On February 25, the Senate Education and Health Subcommittee on Health Professions referred the bill to the Senate Judiciary Committee, which also has a 9-6 Democrat advantage. Democrat leadership knew that Senator Joe Morrissey (D-Richmond), who is pro-life, would vote the bill out of committee, but when they learned that Senator Chap Petersen (D-Fairfax) was also planning to vote the bill to the floor, they moved the bill to the Senate Rules Committee, which has a 12-4 Democrat majority. Senator Petersen, who is also on the Rules Committee, was the only Democrat to vote the bill out of committee, and so one of the most common-sense life bills fell victim to the abortion industry. See bill sponsor Delegate Nick Freitas’ reaction to the bill’s failure here. 

Another high-profile pro-life bill, SB 710, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, would have prohibited abortions after 20 weeks, the only exceptions being for the life of the mother and to “avert serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function.” It’s not as strong as the 15 week ban in Mississippi currently being evaluated by the Supreme Court, but considering there are currently no prohibitions on abortion in Virginia until 26 weeks, this bill would still be a significant, positive step. Senator Morrissey indicated publicly he would have voted for the bill on the floor, but as with several other strong pro-family bills this winter, SB 710 met its demise in the Senate Education and Health Committee.

Regretfully, this same outcome should be expected unless the composition of the Senate is changed and more pro-life senators are elected.