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    25Feb, 2019
    Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act

    The Senate voted this evening to invoke cloture (a cloture vote closes out debate and move a piece of legislation to the floor for a full vote) on the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. The vote to invoke cloture failed 53-44 and 60 votes were needed.

    Those voting against cloture were Senate members who virulently support abortion on demand.

    Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE) said on the Senate floor, “I urge my colleagues to picture a baby that’s already been born, that’s outside the womb gasping for air. That’s the only thing that today’s vote is actually about. We’re talking about babies that have already been born. Nothing in this bill touches abortion access.”

    Sadly, 44 senators voted against cloture–effectively saying that they support infanticide.

    The bill would not affect abortion. It would only require medical personal to treat a child who is born alive after an abortion.

    21Feb, 2019
    ERA Fails in Virginia!

    Democrats intent on bypassing the committee process and the rules in the General Assembly failed to get the votes they needed to pass the ERA in the state of Virginia.

    The way the ERA is interpreted in states where it has passed (such as New Mexico), groups like Planned Parenthood have pushed successfully for taxpayer funding of abortions and the reversal of protective laws such as parental notification laws for minor daughters.

    There is a very real fear that this would also happen in Virginia. In addition, as I mentioned in yesterday’s post, passage in Virginia would set off a tidal wave of court challenges and rulings regarding ratification of the amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

    With every member of the General Assembly up for reelection this fall, it is imperative that pro-life members be re-elected.

    20Feb, 2019
    Virginia and the ERA

    Here in Virginia, we are at a crossroads. We have the potential to impact the entire nation—we will either protect innocent human life or we will turn the tide and destroy generations to come. It all comes down to a handful of votes.

    Despite the fact that it failed in committee, there will be an attempt to bring the Equal Rights Amendment to the floor for a vote. This requires a rules change and Delegate Hala Ayala (D-Woodbridge) announced that an effort for that rules change will come tomorrow.

    You may ask, “What’s wrong with the Equal Rights Amendment?” For the vast majority of women, it seems like a no-brainer but the danger is that passing ERA amendments in several states immediately led for abortion groups to demand that the states provide funding for abortion.

    According to Virginia Society for Human Life, “The ERA, as currently written, would eliminate virtually every single regulation on abortion including over turning partial-birth abortion ban, mandate funding for abortion-on-demand, etc.”

    Delegate Scott Garrett (R-Lynchburg) rose to challenge the upcoming attempts to pass the ERA, “The next few days will give us the opportunity to answer that question by saying out loud what this has been about all along: a proxy fight on unrestricted access to abortion. I think we’re all well aware of the shock and outrage that emerged not only across the Commonwealth but across the country, after the details of House bill 2491 became widely known. That legislation, Mr. Speaker, erased all meaningful restrictions on late term abortion, allowing abortion up to the moment of birth for the most tenuous of reasons.”

    The bill Del. Garrett was referring to was introduced by Del. Kathy Tran (D-Springfield) would have allowed abortions up until the very moment of birth and would have stripped all protective laws that exist in Virginia—e.g. reflection periods, parent consent, ultrasound requirements, etc. The legislation failed but as Del. Garrett pointed out the attempts to pass the ERA are a proxy fight.

    If the ERA passes in Virginia, Virginia would be the last state needed to “ratify” the amendment to the U.S. Constitution. I put ratify in quotes because, by law, the ratification process was closed years ago and the process should be restarted from the beginning. (In fact, 5 states reversed their votes for ratification.)

    If Virginia passes the ERA, whether or not the state ratification votes from 40 year ago would count would be up to the courts to decide.

    And we all know that court decisions can be all over the map.