VA Gov on Late-Term Abortion Bill: It Was Blown Out of Proportion

Governor Northam (D-VA) 

by Gabriella Hoffman: In response to a viral video of House of Delegates member Kathy Tran (D-Springfield) expressing her desire to lift restrictions on late-term abortions in Virginia, Governor Northam (D-VA) said reaction to the Repeal Act (HB 2491) has been “blown out of proportion.”

This morning, our governor— a physician in his past life — defended Delegate Tran’s Repeal Act bill on WTOP this morning.

“If a mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen,” said Northam. “The infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother.”

Watch Northam’s appearance on WTOP below:


Since 2013, Northam has received nearly $2 million in campaign donations from Planned Parenthood Virginia. It comes as no shock to see him dismiss the extreme nature of Tran’s bill.

Delegate Tran’s exchange with Delegate Todd Gilbert (R) on Monday regarding HB 2491 went like this:
Gilbert: So how late in the third trimester could a physician perform an abortion if he indicated it would impair the mental health of the woman?

Tran: Or physical health.

Gilbert: Okay. I’m talking about mental health.

Tran: I mean, through the third trimester. The third trimester goes all the way up to 40 weeks.

Gilbert: So to the end of the third trimester?

Tran: Yes. I don’t think we have a limit in the bill.

Gilbert: So where it’s obvious that a woman is about to give birth, she has physical signs that she’s about give birth, would that still be a point at which she could still request an abortion if she was so certified? [pause] She’s dilating?

Tran: Mr. Chairman, you know, that would be a decision that the doctor, the physician, and the woman would make.

Gilbert: I understand that. I’m asking if your bill allows that

Tran: My bill would allow that, yes.Early today, Delegate Tran issued the following statement in defense of her bill:“We need to trust women to make their own healthcare decisions,” Tran said in a statement on Wednesday. “These decisions are personal and private, and they are made in consultation with doctors who are using their best medical judgement. I regret that these partisan games have taken the focus away from where it should be: on the Virginian women who have asked for this bill to get politicians out of their private medical decisions.”Erick Erickson wrote extensively about this bill and why Virginia Democrats’ embracing of infanticide is troubling. There were many Democrat co-sponsors of House Bill 2491, as listed below:

As I wrote at The Resurgent last night, Tran has since wiped out her social media accounts. Why is she not standing behind her extreme positions?

As of this writing, the respective House Subcommittee recommended laying HB 2491 on the table — meaning it died in committee.

Virginia Democrats are eager to pass this if they successfully flip both chambers of the General Assembly in November. This motion has perked up Virginia Republicans who otherwise would be complacent. It’s encouraging to see them alert. Will they campaign effectively to prevent this from becoming law next legislative session? Time will tell.

It’s imperative to see good lawmakers elected this fall. Democrats are planning to push extreme issues like this. Make sure to know who you are supporting for House of Delegates and State Senate this year. Learn more here.

UPDATE I:
Here’s Governor Northam’s statement on his WTOP appearance. Not surprisingly, he’s digging a deeper hole on his abominable comments:

VA gov on abortion this morning:

“If a mother is in labor...the infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians & mother" pic.twitter.com/cc15pVLjIQ

— Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) January 30, 2019

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Gabriella Hoffman (@gabby_hoffman)has written for The Resurgent and serves as our DC Correspondent. She also is a freelance media strategist and consultant.

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