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.”

Apparently Phil Bryant didn’t check with Gov. Tomblin’s legal team or he would have known that such a bill may not be constitutional. Interestingly it was Democrats and abortion advocates that criticized Bryant for signing this bill. Since most Democrats in the WV legislature approved the 20 week abortion ban I wonder who was behind the scenes encouraging Gov. Tomblin to veto the bill? Gov. Bryant evidently is more concerned with saving the lives of unborn children than whether or not a bill may or may not be constitutional. He is willing to sign the bill, protect children, and let the courts work it out. That shows a conviction that life should be defended that goes beyond politics.

Georgia Governor Signs Bill Banning Tax-Funding of Abortions in Obamacare: “Governor Nathan Deal today signed SB 98, a new law that prohibits using taxpayer funds to pay for abortion insurance coverage in Georgia. The law prohibits public funds from paying for abortions under the state Obamacare health care exchange. The measure has Georgia joining a list of other states to use the provision in Obamacare to opt out of abortion funding, allowed by numerous loopholes and a lack of an abortion funding ban in the legislation…Georgia is the 25th state to adopt a law stopping taxpayer funding of abortion through Obamacare.”

Georgia has proven to be a solidly pro-life state by refusing to force tax-payers to fund abortion in ObamaCare. West Virginia is still forcing tax payers to fund abortion in welfare, and of course ObamaCare. So every pro-life resident of West Virginia – which is a large majority – is supporting and funding abortion in our state through tax dollars. Why? Because we have a legislature and a governor that have better things to do than to protect the unborn. Sure, they claim to be pro-life, but so far all I hear is words. And words without actions are just…words.

South Carolina Panel Passes Bill to Ban Abortions After 20 Weeks Because Babies Feel Pain: “…a subcommittee of the South Carolina Senate Medical Affairs Committee advanced the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act with amendments that will be considered in the full committee May 1…The bill passed the House by a lopsided vote of 84-29 last month.”

The 20 week abortion ban in West Virginia passed the house by a lopsided vote as well. And still our governor vetoed it. But there is no reason to believe, knowing the leadership in South Carolina, that this bill will not pass and be signed by Governor Nikki Haley.

The bottom line is that many states are doing what West Virginia has failed to do: protect unborn children and protect the consciences of pro-life citizens.

It’s time for a change in West Virginia. We need leadership that represents the majority of our state and will act positively to change the public policies that are currently harming ours state.