West Virginia politics is one of the strangest animals in the zoo. Or perhaps the whole zoo is strange. The more I dive into the political system in West Virginia the more confused I become as it seemingly makes no sense.

Here’s a good example of what I’m talking about.

A former governor of West Virginia that claims to be pro-life allowed an abortion clinic to operate down the road from his office for years without lifting a finger. He could have brought common sense health and safety regulations to this completely unregulated clinic, he could have even sought to ban abortion. After all, pro-life people generally don’t like any abortions, much less unregulated ones taking place. Yet, as governor, he did nothing.

That former governor is now a senator, where, once again, he claims to be pro-life while he does little to nothing to defend and protect life either is his home state or the nation as a whole. But he recently said that would vote for a federal 20 week abortion ban if it comes up for a vote in the senate.

On the other hand, the current governor of West Virginia, also claiming to be pro-life, vetoes a state 20 week abortion ban, calling it unconstitutional. Even though a dozen states have passed similar bills, even though the Senate has passed a similar bill, even though the laws have withstood legal challenge, he vetoes it. This same governor has his eye on a potential senate seat where he will once again claim to be pro-life.

Of course I’m talking about Sen. Joe Manchin and Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin.

What makes this situation so strange is that both claim to be pro-life andneither have worked in any tangible way to defend or protect life in West Virginia or the nation.

One might even speculate that Gov. Tomblin vetoed the state 20 week abortion ban in order to signal to national democrats that he will be a “team player” if elected to the Senate. The only problem with such a move is that as recently as July of 2013 a national poll conducted by The Huffington Post shows that nearly 60% of Americans support a 20 week abortion ban. And there is no doubt that West Virginians overwhelmingly support a 20 week abortion ban.

We could further speculate that Manchin is willing to say he’d vote for the bill if it comes up in the Senate because either 1. he knows it will never come up (Harry Reid and all) or 2. he knows Obama will veto it and it won’t hurt him. I can’t think of any other reason Manchin would speak up to support this bill but refuse to co-sponsor it.

To recap, we have a governor possibly aspiring to be senator, claiming to be pro-life, and vetoing pro-life bills; while a senator possibly aspiring to return as governor, claiming to be pro-life, refusing to co-sponsor pro-life bills in the Senate.

Oh, and by the way, Manchin is “supportive of the principles” in the West Virginia state bill that Tomblin just vetoed?

Confused? I think perhaps Gov. Tomblin and Sen. Manchin are equally confused.

But this is what happens when issues become little more than good sound bites for campaigns. It’s easy to say you are pro-life, that takes no effort and requires nothing. And in a state like West Virginia, it is nearly required just to get to the top state and federal offices. But there comes a point in time when talk becomes cheap and actions are needed to prove what you say. And to this point neither man has proven to be pro-life.

Frankly, it would be laughable if either man tried to prove he was pro-life beyond talking points and sound-bites. For years the largest abortion clinic in West Virginia (one of only two) sat down the road from their offices with no regulations or oversight of any kind. Hair salons, tattoo studios, and veterinary clinics have more oversight and government accountability than the abortion clinic in Charleston. And after a case was brought against the abortionist for a severely botched abortion that nearly killed a woman, Gov. Tomblin showed no interest, offered no help, and almost acted as if it never happened.

Such is West Virginia politics.

But what can we expect from career politicians that see the Washington example of “talk a big game then do what you want when elected”? What I can only assume is that saying “I’m pro-life” is nothing but a campaign talking point. I’m not aware of any action, any effort from either to actually defend and protect the unborn on any level. So this appears to be more about getting elected than about conviction. What other conclusion is there when the evidence is examined?

Thankfully a coalition of pro-life groups in West Virginia aren’t giving up and have called on the legislature to convene a special legislative session to seek an override to the governor’s veto.

What I have observed from both Manchin and Tomblin is nothing short of betrayal in the issue of life. Vetoing a bill to save unborn children from horrific pain because you think it might be unconstitutional is an absurd notion. You aren’t a judge or court, you can sign the bill and let them sort it out. Well, if you’re really pro-life that’s what you do. Manchins passive position on the issue of life has also been disappointing. Faced with the opportunity to stick by his convictions and co-sponsor a life-saving bill Manchin revealed his true colors: deep blue.

If this is what it looks like to be “pro-life” in West Virginia it’s no wonder we have unregulated abortion clinics, abortion funding in insurance and Medicare and welfare. It’s time for West Virginians to stop electing people to office simply because they say some nice words about being “pro-life.” We’ve heard it all before and it’s gotten us nowhere. We need lawmakers that will speak about their convictions and then vote accordingly. Is that really too much to ask?