The General Assembly passed SB41 which stated no clergyman could be penalized for not performing a gay wedding if doing so violated his religious beliefs that marriage is between one man and one woman. Governor McAuliffe vetoed the bill saying,
“It’s unconstitutional. It is discriminatory. It demonizes folks. It brings fear and persecution. We can’t tolerate that,”
Never mind that religious figures have their rights to practice their religion violated. The Governor, like most liberals, does like those who practice religion and has no respect for them. Religion offends their sensibilities. More on the veto of this bill here.
Governor McAuliffe also vetoed HB 1090 which would have prevented funding for abortions at settings other than a hospital except in the cases of incest, rape, or fetal deformity. The bill would have curtailed funding for Planned Parenthood. From the Richmond Times-Dispatch,
“We’re here today to smack down the latest attack on women’s health care rights, McAuliffe said Tuesday before vetoing the bill during a news conference at the Richmond headquarters of the Virginia League for Planned Parenthood. “It’s no secret that this bill is aimed at destroying Planned Parenthood.”
The sponsor of the bill, Delegate Benjamin L. Cline, R-Rockbridge, responded to the Governor’s veto,
“I am disappointed that Governor McAuliffe chose to veto this important legislation that would redirect taxpayer dollars toward more comprehensive providers of health care services for women,” Cline said. “The governor is clearly listening to his friends in the abortion lobby, rather than ensuring that women have access to quality care.”
The Governor said with the passage of this bill we could see a spike in STD’s in Virginia, and other silly excuses that will never happen just because Planned Parenthood can’t do abortions.
“Without this service, we could see an increase in STDs, more complications with pregnancies and an increase in health issues among newborns,”
It’s unlikely the General Assembly will have the votes to override these vetoes when they reconvene on April 20th.
