Support Gov. Youngkin’s Pro-Life Plans!
Since the Supreme Court released its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health upholding a Mississippi law prohibiting abortions after 15 weeks and overturning Roe v. Wade which rightfully returns the issue of abortion back to the states, state laws limiting abortions are beginning to have an impact.
Laws in Kentucky, Louisiana, South Dakota, Texas, Idaho, Tennessee, North Dakota, Wyoming, Utah, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, and Mississippi that ban virtually all abortions are taking effect immediately or within the coming months. In Arizona, Planned Parenthood announced it was halting all abortion services due to confusion over a state law passed in 1901, and directing their patients to seek abortions in other states.
We wish it were true that Virginia would be joining these other states by enacting laws that prevent the horrible practice of abortion within our borders. Unfortunately, even our legislative attempts over the past several years to prohibit abortions after 20 weeks have failed, and in 2020 the Democrat-controlled General Assembly repealed nearly 40 years of pro-life achievements.
The sad new reality is that Virginia has some of the most expansive abortion laws in the country, and the state Senate will still be controlled by a pro-abortion majority next year. Just this year, they even defeated the infant born alive protection bill, which simply would have required reasonable medical care be given to a baby that survives a failed abortion, and they rejected a budget measure known as the “Hyde” amendment that would’ve protected taxpayers from funding abortions. We are certainly in an uphill battle.
Thankfully, Governor Youngkin has expressed his commitment to the pro-life cause. In addition to being the first Virginia governor to march in Virginia’s March for Life, during an online forum we hosted last week, Governor Glenn Youngkin said this: “Any bill that comes to my desk I will sign happily and gleefully in order to protect life.”
The Governor also announced that he has asked a collection of Delegates and Senators to develop a Mississippi-style bill that prohibits abortions after 15 weeks, the point at which he (along with many medical experts) believe a baby in the womb can feel pain. According to a Harvard/Harris poll, 72% of Americans would like abortion to be banned at no later than 15 weeks and 49% would like it to be banned at no later than 6 weeks. Without a pro-life majority in the Senate the Governor is trying to pursue a piece of legislation that could garner enough votes to pass both the House and the Senate. Of course, once there is a pro-life majority in the Senate then moving towards stricter abortion laws that protect more unborn lives becomes a real possibility.
We understand this falls short of seeing abortion completely eradicated, but legislatively this is an important step in the the right direction that will save lives, even as we continue to fight to save every unborn life. Our goal is for abortion to one day be an unthinkable option, but in the meantime we will work with elected officials to adopt laws and achieve policies that will protect as many unborn lives as possible given the current political dynamics.
