RICHMOND, Virginia (LifeSiteNews) — Virginia lawmakers in the state House of Delegates rejected two pro-life measures this week, one a bill to ban most abortions in Old Dominion, and a second meant specifically to keep preborn babies from being targeted for elimination on the basis of their race or sex.
The Associated Press reports that the House Courts of Justice Subcommittee #4 voted 8-0 against a bill to ban abortion for any reason except to save a mother’s life and 5-3 against a bill prohibiting abortions sought specifically due to the race or sex of the child. The latter was a party-line vote, with all Republicans supporting the measure and all Democrats opposing.
“For months, House Democrats told Virginians that a Democratic majority would protect their rights and freedoms and this subcommittee did just that tonight,” declared House Democrat caucus spokeswoman Morgan Hopkins, euphemistically referring to the murder of the unborn as a “right” and “healthcare.”
The setback for the pro-life cause follows Democrats winning back the Virginia House while retaining the state Senate last November, in a slate of elections where Republicans performed fairly strongly overall yet could not overcome redistricting and the state’s naturally left-leaning populace.
Nevertheless, the outcome made it even more difficult than it already was for Gov. Glenn Youngkin and other Republicans to pursue conservative policies and enforce his existing ones with a split legislature, and underscored that advancing the pro-life legislative cause remains as challenging as ever even after the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 overturn of Roe v. Wade.
With Roe out of the way, fourteen states currently ban all or most abortions, with available data so far indicating that now-enforceable pro-life laws could effectively wipe out an estimated 200,000 abortions a year.
In response, abortion allies pursue a variety of tactics to keep the abortion industry going, such as interstate distribution of abortion pills, enshrining “rights” to abortion in state constitutions, legal protection and financial support of interstate abortion travel, constructing new abortion facilities near borders shared by pro-life and pro-abortion states, and making liberal states sanctuaries for those who want to evade or violate the laws of more pro-life neighbors.
President Joe Biden has called on Congress to codify a “right” to abortion in federal law, which would not only restore but expand the Roe status quo by making it illegal for states to pass virtually any pro-life laws. The 2024 elections will determine whether Democrats retain the White House and keep or gain enough seats in Congress to make that happen.