Tag: bill
West Virginia Lawmakers Ready to Override Governor Veto – If Necessary
Posted on February 4, 2015 in Life by Nathan Cherry
West Virginia did something historic last fall when citizens of the state changed the color of the legislature from blue to red. It has been 80 years since Republicans had a majority voice in the state house. But citizens made their displeasure with current leadership clear when many Democratic incumbents were ousted in favor of Republican challengers. The same trend carried to federal races where two long-time Democratic congressional seats were won by Republicans.
After this historic “West Virginia Red Wave” the question on everyone’s mind was “will Republicans take advantage of this opportunity and actually do something?”
It seems the answer to that question is becoming clearer concerning one of the most pressing issues in our state.
West Virginia is one of just 9 states that have absolutely no abortion laws. An unborn child can be aborted up to the moment of birth for any reason in the state of West Virginia despite the fact that most of our residents identify as pro-life. The fact that ur state is primarily pro-life can also be seen in the fact that most of our elected officials are pro-life; even many among the Democratic party. West Virginians value life.
But last year when a bi-partisan majority in the state legislature passed our version of the pain capable unborn child protection act, our “pro-life” governor vetoed it. Gov. Tomblin said simply that he thought it was unconstitutional and therefore vetoed it.
Breaking: Democratic Bill to Overturn Hobby Lobby Decision Fails
Posted on July 17, 2014 in Life by Nathan Cherry
The Supreme Court recognized the need to protect the religious freedoms of business owners in not forcing them to violate their conviction by supporting abortion. The extreme abortion-rights position of the left was in plain view in even considering a bill like this.
Records show that our very own John Rockefeller was a co-sponsor of the bill, but it appears Joe Manchin was not. However, both Joe Manchin and John Rockefeller voted in favor of the bill and support forcing employers to violate their religious convictions. THankfully John Rockefeller is retiring and will most likely be replaced by pro-life Shelley Moore-Capito. At least we (West Viriginia) will have one Senator that is not pro-life in name and words only.
Sen. Orrin Hatch said of the bill:
ALERT: Senate Democrats Pushing Bill to Wipe Out Every Pro-Life Law!
Posted on July 16, 2014 in Life by Nathan Cherry
From LifeNews.com: Senate Democrats will hold a hearing on a bill tomorrow that would wipe out almost every single pro-life
Did You Know? Senate Bill Seeks to Wipe Out Every Pro Life Law Against Abortion
Posted on June 30, 2014 in Life by Nathan Cherry
Over the past 40 plus years since the passing of Roe V. Wade many pro- life laws have been passed to protect the unborn. From 2011 to 2013 at least 160 laws were passed. More importantly, the pro-life position and message is winning the hearts of people as science helps people see the humanity of the unborn.
Now imagine that all the progress made by the pro-life movement was wiped out with one piece of legislation.
Every law against partial birth abortion – gone.
Every law requiring parental notification before abortion – gone.
WV Senate President Kessler Tells Gov. Tomblin to Call Special Session to Address 20 Week Abortion Ban
Posted on June 3, 2014 in Life by Nathan Cherry
According to Alliance Alert: West Virginia Senate President Jeff Kessler (D) today added more pressure to the call for a special session to address the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, the bill that Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin (D) vetoed at the end of the regular session in March.
Appearing today on MetroNews “Talkline,” Kessler said, “We have a pro-life majority in leadership and I think we can get this issue addressed and put it behind us and move on to other topics that also need to be addressed.”
Gov. Tomblin has said he would again veto the bill, arguing it is unconstitutional. House Speaker Tim Miley again brought up cost. “I don’t believe West Virginia taxpayers will understand why lawmakers would be so eager to quickly return to Charleston at great expense to attempt to pass legislation destined for a long legal battle and a very uncertain future,” he said.
Kessler rebutted both contentions in his appearance on Talkline. Had he thought the law was unconstitutional, Kessler said he wouldn’t have voted for it in the first place.
“Kessler argued the bill already has overwhelming support among legislators and just needs another chance to pass,” according to reporter Shauna Johnson of West Virginia Metro News. Kessler said, “We are going to have a pain capable bill. That’s a given.”
URGENT: West Virginia Legislature Close to Forcing Special Session to Override Veto of Pro Life Bill
Posted on May 27, 2014 in Life by Nathan Cherry
I am pleased to report that news has been circulating that legislators in West Virginia are close to forcing a special session to seek an override to Gov. Tomblin’s veto of the 20 week abortion ban. Pro-lifers throughout the state and across the country were disappointed when Tomblin vetoed the bill for several reasons; least of all is the fact that he consistently claims to be pro-life. But his reasoning, that the bill is unconstitutional, doesn’t hold up considering that other states have passed similar bills that have withstood judicial challenge.
LifeNews.com is reporting: “In a speech Wednesday, House Minority Leader Tim Armstead (R-Kanawha) urged members to sign the petition. He said of Tomlin’s threat to veto, ‘I’m sure it’s a message to the remaining Democratic members to not sign the petition.’ However, Tomblin would have no choice if three-fifths of the members of both houses request it in writing. That means 22 in the Senate and 60 delegates. As of Thursday night, Armstead said it was his understanding that ’54 delegates and 23 senators had signed the petition,’ the Charleston Gazette reported.”
Hedgesville High School Student Beats Incumbent in Primary Election
Posted on May 18, 2014 in Life by Nathan Cherry
Maybe there’s hope for West Virginia yet.
In the recent primary election a 17 year old Hedgesville student unseat a sitting state delegate by a fairly surprising margin. LifeNews.com reports:
“With all 13 precincts in her Martinsburg-area district reporting, Blair beat state Del. Larry Kump(R) by an 872-728 vote margin. Blair campaigned on an antiabortion, pro-Second Amendment platform, offering her cellphone number to constituents and pledging not to go negative. She spent about $4,800 on her campaign, state finance records show (Kump, a former lobbyist, only spent $1,800 on his reelection bid).”
What Other States Are Doing That West Virginia is Not
Posted on May 10, 2014 in Life by Nathan Cherry
West Virginia is a great place to live, once you get used to its quirky ways. But one thing that is hard to ever get used to is how behind West Virginia is regarding many social issues and public policies. A good example of that is the 20 week abortion bill that passed our state legislature with an overwhelmingly bi-partisan support only to be vetoed by our governor. Gov. Tomblin’s reason for vetoing the bill? He said he wasn’t sure that it was constitutional.
Well, that’s just a lame excuse used to cover up some political strategy aimed at advancing Tomblin’s career. After all, Tomblin has to first take care of himself rather than the people he serves and the unborn children being killed each and every day. But just in case Tomblin is still living in denial and believing he did the right thing, let’s take a look at what some other states are doing to protect the unborn.
Mississippi governor signs 18-week abortion ban, one of nation’s most restrictive: “Mississippi has passed one of the nation’s most restrictive abortion laws after Governor Phil Bryant signed a bill banning most abortions at 18 weeks’ gestation, or 20 weeks after a woman’s last menstrual period. House Bill 1400, which will take effect on July 1, allows an abortion if a woman would likely die or face permanent injury as a result of the pregnancy. It also has an exception for when an unborn baby has severe abnormalities, but no rape or incest exceptions. Bryant, who has said he wants to ban all abortions in his state, signed the bill into law on Wednesday despite heavy criticism from Democrats and abortion providers.”
What Evidence Shows Manchin and Tomblin are Really Pro-Life?
Posted on April 15, 2014 in Life by Nathan Cherry
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.
West Virginia Lawmakers Making National News for All the Wrong Reasons
Posted on April 3, 2014 in Life by Nathan Cherry
Over the last few days West Virginia governor Earl Ray Tomblin has been in the news quite a bit. His claim to fame is that he vetoed the 20 week abortion ban last Friday. Tomblin, a “pro-life” governor said the bill was unconstitutional. I guess the other states and the U.S. House of Representatives that passed similar bills should have consulted with Tomblin’s legal team.
Joining Gov. Tomblin in the halls of shame this week is West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin. Manchin is also a self-proclaimed “pro-life” politician that is coming under fire for not becoming a sponsor of the federal 20 week abortion ban. An article at LifeNews.com explains:
“To put pressure on Manchin to support the bill, the SBA List today informed LifeNews of a $20,000 radio ad buy encouraging Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia to become the first Democratic senator to cosponsor the federal Pain Capable Unborn Child Act. The legislation would protect unborn children beginning at 20 weeks – more than halfway through pregnancy. Similar laws have been passed in 13 states. The federal bill passed the U.S. House and has more than 40 Senate cosponsors.”
Having more than 40 co-sponsors in the Senate is encouraging and gives hope for the bills hearing and passage. But it does not guarantee anything will come of it. Gov. Tomblin proved that when the West Virginia bill gained an overwhelming bi-partisan support only to have Tomblin veto the bill.
Once again West Virginia finds itself in the un-enviable position of having lawmakers in the news for all the wrong reasons. Republicans and Democrats came together to pass a life saving bill only to have our “pro-life” governor veto it. And our “pro-life” Senator won’t sign on to another life saving bill in the Senate. At some point we have to stop listening to what our candidates say and start paying attention to what they do. The next time Tomblin and Manchin claim to be pro-life the audience needs to laugh and remind them of their voting records.