Pro-Abortion Gov. McAuliffe vetoes bill to defund Virginia abortion promoters

No contracts would have gone to providers “that perform abortion”

By Dave Andrusko

Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe today vetoed HB2264, a common sense bill that would have ensured that legitimate Virginia healthcare programs that do not perform or promote abortion received priority state funding before any organization that does abortions.

Sponsored by state Delegates Ben Cline and Dave LaRock, the bill was designed to support state programs that actually do provide women with prenatal care and other much need health services under Medicaid, and to get the Commonwealth of Virginia out of the business of abortion.

“Sadly, once again we see that the Governor’s commitment to his pro-abortion political backers takes precedence over the will of the people of Virginia who do not want their taxes used to pay for abortions or abortion promoters, such as Planned Parenthood,” said Olivia Gans Turner, President of Virginia Society for Human Life (VSHL). “None of Planned Parenthood’s Virginia locations offer prenatal care.”

Last week’s 20-19 Senate vote on HB 2264 was along party lines, with all Republicans in favor, all Democrats in opposition. Previously the bill passed the Virginia House of Representatives by an overwhelming vote of 60-33.

According to story written by SaraRose Martin for Capital News Service, Del. Cline

said the bill would give priority to more than 140 federally qualified and rural health clinics in Virginia. Cline said the bill would make sure that money is sent to “health clinics that meet the needs of those populations they serve in the most comprehensive manner possible,” instead of to clinics that provide abortions.

Turner told NRL News Today VSHL is not surprised that Gov. McAuliffe has sided with his pro-abortion allies.

“He has proven every time over the last four years that Planned Parenthood and the abortion lobby can depend on him to abandon the women and unborn children of the Commonwealth,” Turner said. “Now he is proving that he does not care that we Virginians do not want our taxes paying for abortion either. This is solid evidence that Virginia needs a pro-life governor to respect the action of Virginia’s elected officials and the will of the people of this state.”

McAuliffe is term-limited. Virginians will go to the polls this November to choose his successor.