RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, with few exceptions, has been introduced to the Virginia House of Delegates. The Staunton News Leader reports (http://bit.ly/2hAyvOq) the bill is known as the “Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act,” or HB 1473, and will make its way to the House floor in January.
The law allows for an exception if the life of the mother is at risk, or if there is “serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function. Violation of the law would be considered a Class 4 felony. The bill also provides for “civil remedies” against physicians should they perform abortions in violation of the act.
Republicans in Richmond need to campaign for and on behalf of this legislation. Candidates running for statewide office in 2017 need to campaign for and on behalf of this legislation. Silence is unacceptable. Killing this bill in subcommittee is unacceptable. Squishy rhetoric over whether or not Virginia has a right to protect the rights of babies in the womb is unacceptable.
I would like this to be clear, for all Republicans in elected-office. Your response to this legislation will not be ignored. If you support it, we will be here to support, praise, and raise awareness for you. If you oppose it or are silent about it, we will be here to flag you to the public as advocates for the abortion industry.
Personhood begins at conception and all abortions kill a person. This legislation is in no way legitimatizing abortions before 20 weeks. We live in a Representative and Constitutional Republic and many people believe that babies in the womb aren’t human beings. As barbarous as this opinion is, it is what they believe. Politicians will respect their constituencies if there are large minorities of people who believe that tearing human beings apart, limb from limb, is morally acceptable. We understand this. We accept reality. We also accept that there is a huge lobbying industry to support the billion dollar abortion industry in this country. We know what we’re up against.
So, we need to fight the battles we can win. 20 weeks is better than 21 weeks; and it is a heck of a lot better than 36 weeks.
One hundred years from now, when abortion is illegal, Americans will look back at folks in the late 20th and early 21st centuries as complicit in atrocities that rival slavery, the holocaust, and the great purge in Russia. Let us stop what few abortions we can, while we can. Let us prevent babies who will be fully conscious of their bloody demise from being killed.
Whether you believe in personhood or not, let us do what we can do; and we can do this. Encourage your representatives to support HB 1473. If you are supporting a candidate in a statewide race, encourage them to support HB 1473. Democrats believe that human beings don’t have rights until the government explicitly gives them rights. Slaves didn’t have rights until we gave some to them. Women didn’t have political rights until we gave some to them. Let’s give some rights to the unborn. Let’s save lives.
Let’s take baby steps toward returning dignity and integrity back to the Commonwealth.
