November 16, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) – The governor-elect of Virginia’s newly-announced transition committee is a who’s-who of leftist, pro-abortion activists, including the communications director of the commonwealth’s Planned Parenthood affiliate.
One of the most controversial points in Ralph Northam’s campaign came when the Latino Victory Fund released an ad in support of him suggesting his opponents are racists who want to murder minority children. The ad showed a pickup truck with a sticker supporting his Republican opponent, Ed Gillespie, flying a Confederate flag and chasing down minority children. The car also had a conservative “don’t tread on me” license plate.
The Latino Victory Project's board chair, Leopoldo Martinez, was named to Northam’s transition committee. (The Latino Victory Fund is part of the Latino Victory Project.)
Northam said his new team reflects “the diversity that makes our Commonwealth a wonderful and inclusive place to live” and will “build an administration that reflects Virginia and takes our Commonwealth to the next level.”
Tarina Keene, the executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia, is on the committee. So is Alexsis Rodgers, Planned Parenthood of Virginia’s director of communications.
James Parrish, executive director of Equality Virginia, and Anna Scholl, the executive director of Progress Virginia, are both also on the committee.
NARAL is a major abortion lobby group. Planned Parenthood is America’s largest abortion vendor. It commits over 300,000 abortions annually. Planned Parenthood of Virginia consistently fights legislative efforts to hold the abortion industry to basic health and safety standards.
“We all know that Planned Parenthood bought and paid for their influence in this year’s election to the tune of over $3 million,” Olivia Gans Turner, president of the Virginia Society for Human Life, told LifeSiteNews. “It comes as no surprise that pro-abortion Ralph Northam would give them a prime position on his transition team.”
She predicted abortion activists will be involved in Northam’s administration as well.
“Sadly, those people who may not have understood how pro-abortion he would be” will soon realize how much of an extremist he is as he puts abortion activists in prominent positions, she said.
Equality Virginia describes itself as “a statewide, non-partisan education, outreach, and advocacy organization seeking equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Virginians.”
The group advocates for public school students to be able to use the restrooms and intimate facilities of the opposite sex and for broad nondiscrimination policies that include “sexual orientation and gender identity & expression.”
Northam’s selection of pro-abortion activists is not surprising. Two of his campaign videos featured the founder of the pro-abortion group ReproAction as a “regular voter.”
“The next four years are going to be very complicated,” said Turner. “This is not going to be a time when pro-lifers are going to see any real progress in Virginia because” pro-abortion groups “intend to use this opportunity to their advantage.”
People “need to start focusing on how they can become more involved in” the pro-life movement in Virginia, said Turner. She said there is a need for “watchfulness and prayerfulness.”