OPINION:
Former Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam may have faded into political obscurity, but his endorsement of infanticide lives on in the commonwealth’s General Assembly. Last month, Virginia Senate Democrats did the unthinkable by blocking a “born-alive” bill that would ensure that a baby born alive during a late-term abortion would receive the same lifesaving medical treatment as any child born alive at the same gestational age. These legislators showed how truly radical they are in this shocking and barbaric vote.
Some on the left assert that abortion survivors are a myth and stronger protections are not needed. That is patently false. Among the handful of states that actually report data on live births after a failed abortion, we know that at least 111 babies in four states survived in a five-year period. Without the means to hold abortion providers accountable, these children are extremely vulnerable to being killed or left to die — but by Democrats’ own admission, they are not guaranteed a right to life and equal medical care.
As Mr. Northam put it, “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” about whether to let the child die.
Mr. Northam’s infamous comment and the Virginia Senate vote are sad reminders that Democratic leaders no longer believe abortion should be “safe, legal and rare.” Instead, they insist it must be available on demand for any reason at any time — even moments after birth — and paid for with taxpayer dollars. This isn’t just the case in Virginia, but nationally.
In January, only one U.S. House Democrat joined Republicans in passing a federal bill to protect babies born alive. Among the 210 Democrats who voted in opposition was Oregon Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, who claimed the bill was “extremist, dangerous and unnecessary.”
A McLaughlin & Associates poll found 77% of Americans support born-alive protections. That includes 70% of Democrats and 75% of independents.
Meanwhile, at least two congressional Democrats were seen at the State of the Union address sporting gold pins that simply said “Abortion” with a little heart symbol — a gift from Planned Parenthood.
In glorifying abortion on demand, it is Democrats who are extreme and woefully out of touch. Virginians want protections that go far beyond born-alive legislation and beyond the state’s current law that permits late-term abortions.
Last month, the Virginia Senate took up legislation supported by Gov. Glenn Youngkin to limit abortion at 15 weeks. According to a poll conducted in January by WPA Intelligence, over 60% of Virginia voters support this legislation, and nearly two-thirds oppose allowing abortion up until the moment of birth. Yet again, Senate Democrats sided with the radical abortion lobby and blocked the bill in committee, and they put forth their own proposal to enshrine a “right” to abortion in the Virginia Constitution.
The more people understand the sheer inhumanity of abortions beyond 15 weeks, a point by which unborn babies can feel pain, the more they want to end this torturous practice. By this stage, babies respond to touch and sound, they are practicing breathing, unique facial features start to become visible, they can make intentional movements with their hands and feet, and their heart has beat more than 15 million times.
Each year in America, more than 55,000 children suffer cruel deaths by abortion after 15 weeks of gestation. In Virginia, passing compassionate legislation to protect babies starting at 15 weeks would save as many as 500 lives every year and align the commonwealth with the rest of the modern world. Forty-seven of 50 European nations limit elective abortion at 15 weeks, or even earlier in countries such as Norway and France.
Virginia Democrats are callously ignoring the pain of their most vulnerable population as well as the will of their voters. They will stop only if their agenda costs them politically at the ballot box.
As Virginia’s pro-abortion senators attempt to defend their seats this election year, their extremism will be exposed and they will be held accountable. Their radical votes against babies who feel pain and babies born alive are a wake-up call and a reminder of how high the stakes are in Virginia’s first statewide election after the Dobbs Supreme Court decision — for both born and unborn children and for the soul of our commonwealth.
• Marjorie Dannenfelser is president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.
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