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RICHMOND, Virginia (LifeSiteNews) – Virginia Republicans are brainstorming options for pro-life policies that Gov. Glenn Youngkin could pursue in a post-Roe v. Wade world, where the political realities of the state legislature continue to make banning abortion an uphill battle.
Youngkin called for banning abortion at 15 weeks in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe last month, which restored the elected branches’ of government’s ability to set abortion policy. But such a ban is unlikely to make it through a General Assembly split between Republican and Democrat control.
“If the governor is trying to push a 15-week ban, it’s not going to get through my committee. I can guarantee you that,” Democrat state Sen. Louise Lucas, who heads the Senate Education and Health Committee, says, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported.
“I believe, as a pro-life governor, that life begins at conception,” Youngkin has said on the prospect of a full abortion ban, which some Virginia Republicans plan on introducing. But “the reality is that as a pro-life governor in a state like Virginia where I have a Senate that’s controlled by Democrats and a House that’s controlled by Republicans, we have to find a way to get things done.”
With that in mind, Youngkin is reportedly “paying close attention to” suggestions from Republicans such as state Del. Dave LaRock for more politically-viable actions to pursue for the time being.
“I believe that human life begins at conception. No compromise means that we can never justify taking an innocent human life, but at this moment, I doubt anything like a ban will move forward,” LaRock said. “It’s not enough to have control of one of the chambers in the legislature. I think anything that would make women want fewer abortions is a win in the next few years.”
Among his ideas are making state funding for Virginia universities contingent on not committing abortions, denying family planning funds to entities that abortion, increasing funding for crisis pregnancy centers, and supporting adoption.
“We could be focusing short term on things that would make it more viable for a woman to choose life and take some difficulty out of a pregnancy that is unplanned and sometimes unwanted,” LaRock said.
Youngkin rose to office on a wave of grassroots dissent over Democrats’ extreme stances on COVID-19 and education, which also delivered the Virginia House to GOP hands. Since then, he has pursued a conservative policy agenda, though in addition to the Democrat Senate he has had to contend with moderate-to-liberal GOP legislators undermining work on some of the issues he campaigned on.