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NRL News
Virginia
Senate Votes to Cut Off Funding to Planned Parenthood
In a surprising turn of events, on February 27 the Virginia state Senate joined the state House in agreeing to defund Planned Parenthood. The amendment was offered by Republican state Senator Ken Cuccinelli and will deny over $200,000 to Planned Parenthood. PPFA is the largest abortion “provider” in the world. The margin was razor-thin. The Senate divided 20–20 with Republican Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling casting the deciding vote. But Bolling would not have been in that position had not pro-life Democratic state Sen. Charles Colgan joined 19 Republicans. Colgan explained his vote, saying, “It’s because of my conscience, and I don’t waver from that, as my colleagues found out today,” according to the Washington Post. “I ran on a pro-life platform, and most of my constituents are pro-life.” As NRL News was going to press, a select group of House and Senate budget conferees will be attempting to work out their differences on a two-year, $77 billion spending plan. Pro-abortion Democratic Gov. Tim Kaine can be expected to try to restore the Planned Parenthood funding. All the newspaper accounts highlighted the pressure Colgan, the Senate Finance Committee chairman, came under from his pro-abortion Democratic colleagues. According to the Virginia Pilot, Colgan joked, “If I’d had some ketchup and came out with it smeared on my head, you would have thought I was bleeding.” Referring to his support for the amendment, Colgan said, “That’s just the way it is, and I don’t waver from that, as my colleagues found out today.” What none of the accounts mentioned, however, is that for years Colgan has fought attempts by his opponents (and not just Republicans running against him) to peg him as pro-abortion. Colgan has a 100% pro-life voting record, according to the Virginia Society for Human Life, NRLC’s state affiliate. |