NORFOLK, Va. – A statement from the Republican Party of Virginia on abortion rights is sparking “disbelief” among some Democrats in the Virginia General Assembly.
The Republican Party of Virginia issued the following statement Tuesday in the wake of a leaked document suggesting the Supreme Court of the United States may overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark case protecting abortion rights in America.
“Virginia Democrats are too extreme on the topic of abortion, and their views are outside the mainstream. They consistently push for at-home chemical abortions, and partial-birth and late-term abortion, even up until the moment of birth. Virginia Democrats won’t even protect a baby that has survived an abortion,” said Ellie Sorensen, Press Secretary for the Republican Party of Virginia. “No matter what the Supreme Court decides, the Republican Party of Virginia will unequivocally defend the dignity of all human life in our Commonwealth. The pro-life movement is on the right side of history.”
“I just can’t believe how outrageous the statement is from the Republican Party,” said Angelia Williams Graves, who represents parts of Norfolk and Virginia Beach in the Virginia House of Delegates. “It really goes to show how out of touch they really are with Virginians.”
“Overwhelmingly, people want the freedom to make their individual choices about their healthcare, about reproductive rights, and about abortion,” Williams Graves continued. “[Women] are intelligent, we are capable, we are sane-thinking people who are able to make decisions for ourselves.”
Williams Graves said she is concerned the balance of power in the Virginia General Assembly may lead to a rollback in abortion rights protections in Virginia if the Supreme Court repeals Roe v. Wade this summer, which would leave the decision on those protections to individual states. Right now, Democrats have a slim lead in the Senate of Virginia, while Republicans hold the lead in the House of Delegates.
“Being pro-choice is not being pro-abortion,” said Williams Graves. “Being pro-choice is saying that you have the choice to make the decision that is right for you, your body, your life, and your family, and nobody should take that away from you.”
On Tuesday, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, said he is anti-abortion, and believes abortion rights should be up to individual states.
