Tim Kaine’s vote on anti-infanticide bill leaves Catholic bishops ‘dismayed and outraged’

Sen. Tim Kaine’s stance this week on the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act left Catholic bishops in Richmond and Arlington flabbergasted.

The Virginia Democrat — a Catholic — left Bishops Barry Knestout of Richmond and Michael Burbidge of Arlington “dismayed and outraged” for his part in filibustering a bill to outlaw infanticide of babies born after unsuccessful abortions.

“We are dismayed and outraged that Virginia’s U.S. Senators [Mark] Warner and Kaine voted against this critical lifesaving legislation,” the men said in a joint statement. “That this bill did not pass unanimously — let alone pass at all — is appalling and beyond comprehension.”

The Republican-led Senate tallied 53 votes, short of the 60 needed to overcome the Democats’ filibuster.

“Planned Parenthood and others refuse to draw a line between abortion and infanticide,” Sen. Ben Sasse, the chief sponsor, said Monday after the vote.

The Nebraska Republican said the result should demonstrate for Americans “what these groups are really about.”

Mr. Kaine rationalized his vote by saying Monday night: “They didn’t even want to bring it to committee, and that tells me I don’t think they had a real case to justify the bill … Infanticide is already illegal in every state,” the Washington Examiner reported Tuesday.

The Democrat attends St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in Richmond, the newspaper added.

Bishop Knestout of Richmond and Bishop Burbidge of Arlington have issued a joint statement on the U.S. Senate’s failure to pass the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. The statement is available on our website: https://t.co/79UYLioHgM pic.twitter.com/oqD3c25PdY

— Diocese of Richmond (@RichmondDiocese) February 26, 2019