The headline from last week’s special session was, “Abortion ban passes WV Senate.” To be clear, that is precisely what happened. The WV Senate voted to ban abortion. So did the WV House.
While you may have seen the headline, I doubt you heard the things senators said while we debated the ban. Every voter deserves to know what was said on July 28, 2022.
“Personally, I would have no exceptions.” –Senator Eric Tarr (R-Putnam)
“We love all babies, until they mess up.” –Senator Mike Azinger (R-Wood)
“The dynamic in these relationships (rape and incest) is that the child often has a romanticized view of what’s happening. They think it’s their boyfriend.” –Senator Robert Karnes (R-Upshur)
“If someone (who is raped) is willing to kill their baby, they’re willing to lie to get it done.” –Senator Eric Tarr (R-Putnam)
I hope every citizen watches every word of the debate. (Watch in full at wvlegislature.gov.) It disturbed many of us deeply. The values of those speakers are not representative of the good people of West Virginia. Our values are simple.
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We value life. God grants us the precious gift of life, and it’s our highest duty to nurture it. All the statistics show that the best way to nurture life is to provide access to a range of medically-necessary, reproductive health care services.
We value personal freedom. Politicians should not be making unique medical decisions for mothers and babies. Only patients and doctors can make those decisions.
We value systemic justice for children. It’s incumbent on us as a culture to provide for the well-being of children by providing child care, foster care, adoption care, feeding programs, family planning, and mental health support.
We value women. Debate on the floor was limited to the life of the child. The child’s life is absolutely precious, and that life is only possible because of the life of the mother. Both must be protected.
Because of these values, I opposed the abortion ban. It may make some folks feel better, but it will not improve life in West Virginia. In fact, it will make our health worse. Doctors will flee the state for fear of being imprisoned. Expectant mothers will have to travel out of state for prenatal care. Children will suffer. For years, we’ve reduced the number of abortions and taken steps to improve maternal health. Both will reverse if a ban occurs, and more lives will be taken.
The next step in the process is for a conference committee to be appointed. They will try to arrive at a compromise. That process will unfold in the coming weeks. Please speak up and speak out to your delegates and senators in the meantime. The capitol can be an echo chamber, and we need to hear from folks.
Those in power want a total ban. They are dominating the debate right now. We need to find a way to get beyond our worst partisan political impulses. I pray compassion and reason can prevail. We all value life, freedom, mothers, and children. Our state policy should reflect those values we share.
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