Virginia’s gov. Terry McAuliffe has vetoed a bill that would have defunded abortion provider Planned Parenthood in the state.
The bill was passed by the state’s Republican-controlled legislature and would have banned taxpayer money from going to fund Planned Parenthood and other clinics which provide abortions.
McAuliffe said that he would veto the bill before it even came to his desk. Despite knowing this, Republican lawmakers believe that it was worth formulating the bill and raising public awareness of the issue. The bill narrowly passed in the Senate last week 20-19, according to The Richmond Times Dispatch.
Commenting on his veto, McAuliffe stated, "Attempts to restrict women’s access to health care will impede the goal of making Virginia the best place to live, work, and run a business.”
He also referred to the Executive Mansion as the “brick wall,” protecting women’s health care from attempts to dismantle it.
“This wall just got taller, and it just got wider, folks,” he told the crowd Tuesday before vetoing the legislation.
Federal lawmakers in the Republican-controlled Congress are also looking for formulate a bill defunding Planned Parenthood.
McAuliffe reportedly vetoed a similar bill last year, according to Reuters.com.
Photo courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
Publication date: February 22, 2017
