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RICHMOND October 26, 2012, (LifeSiteNews.com) – Democrats for Life of America (DFLA) has pulled its endorsement of Tim Kaine, U.S. Senate candidate from Virginia, as Kaine launched an attack ad blitz criticizing his opponent, George Allen, for holding pro-life views. 

The ad features a woman facing the camera as a voiceover says: “This is Virginia. George Allen would restrict her choices.” The ad says Allen “would take away her Constitutional rights by reversing Roe V. Wade.”

Kelsey Hazzard of Secular Pro-Life first questioned the DFLA endorsement, pointing out that Kaine’s website states: “I strongly support the right of women to make their own health and reproductive decisions and, for that reason, will oppose efforts to weaken or subvert the basic holding of Roe v. Wade.” 

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Kaine, who is Catholic, successfully ran for governor of Virginia in 2005 as a moderate who supported stronger parental consent laws and a ban on partial-birth abortion. However, his support for these minimal restrictions came with major loopholes attached. Kaine insisted the partial birth abortion ban, for example, include exceptions for “the health of the mother,” a clause critics say can be invoked in almost any circumstance. 

Yet Kaine’s support for any restrictions on abortion provoked strong criticism from NARAL Pro-Choice America and other pro-abortion groups—and earned him the support of DFLA, a group that promotes pro-life candidates and issues within the Democratic Party. 

After his term as governor Kaine served as Democratic National Committee chairman from 2009 to 2011, where he was a stalwart supporter of President Barack Obama and helped to elect hundreds of supporters of unrestricted abortion to offices across the nation.

During this campaign, he has spoken at rallies for Planned Parenthood, which also held a fundraising dinner for him.  At one joint rally with the abortion provider in Arlington, he labeled George Allen’s support for personhood legislation “dangerous.”

Kaine’s record spurred Kelsey Hazzard to write a letter to Kristen Day of DFLA—and post a copy on her blog.

“As a Virginia resident, I’m treated to constant Kaine radio ads,” she wrote. “From where I stand, he is campaigning on a pro-abortion platform and being quite vocal about it.”

It took several days for DFLA to respond, but this week they dropped their endorsement of Tim Kaine. 

“Former DNC Chairman and Governor Tim Kaine has been a friend to DFLA and has previously defined himself as a pro-life Democrat,” the group said in a statement.  “His spokesman and website are now identifying him as a pro-choice Democrat.  DFLA, therefore, cannot endorse Governor Kaine.”