Breaking: Joint Statement By Family Foundation And Virginia Catholic Conference On Absence Of Pro-Life Safeguards By Budget Conferees
JOINT STATEMENT FROM JEFF CARUSO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE VIRGINIA CATHOLIC CONFERENCE, AND VICTORIA COBB, PRESIDENT OF THE FAMILY FOUNDATION OF VIRGINIA
RICHMOND – With the General Assembly set to approve a budget negotiated by House and Senate conferees, officials from two of the Commonwealth’s leading statewide pro-life organizations expressed profound regret over the failure of negotiators to provide conscience protections to the vast number of Virginia taxpayers who strongly oppose paying for life-ending practices.
“Words cannot express the disappointment of pro-family Virginians at the decision of the Virginia General Assembly to continue forcing taxpayers of Virginia to fund the destruction of human life and the most extreme pro-abortion organization in Virginia. The General Assembly had multiple options, including banning funding of Planned Parenthood, embryonic stem cell research or state funded abortions. It is simply astonishing that they were unable to get any of the three amendments added to the budget.
“It is outrageously unacceptable to force Virginia taxpayers to fund abortions, life-destructive research, and the abortion industry’s largest provider. Large numbers of constituents have expressed their concerns of conscience to budget negotiators for several years now, but these concerns never seem to come close to making the top of the priority list.”
Last month, the House of Delegates approved budget provisions prohibiting state funding of abortions and research that requires either a human embryo to be destroyed or a baby to be aborted. Although the Senate’s version of the budget did not include these items, the full Senate voted on February 27 to remove more than $200,000 in state funds that had been designated for Planned Parenthood of Virginia, the state affiliate of the nation’s largest abortion provider.
Although all three of these provisions were considered by the budget conferees, none of them were included in their final report.
According to data from the Virginia Department of Health and the Department of Medical Assistance Services, state taxpayers have subsidized 322 abortions — almost one every two days — over the last two fiscal years.
Blame Senate Democrats Edd Houck, Janey Howell, and Dick Saslaw. They refused to even consider the proposals by the House Republicans! Thank the House Republicans for at least bringing the issues forward by including them in their budget proposal!
Lou, are you a plant for Bill Howell? The fact is, the language banning funding for Planned Parenthood was in BOTH budgets! It should not have even been part of the negotiations! The House conferees completely caved. When Dickie S brought it up, the House conferees should simply have said, “Sorry, we can’t talk about it because it’s not on the table,” because, litterally, it WASN’T on the table! Furthermore, they should have said, “How can we negotiate it when Sen. Colgan, sitting over there, and two other Senate conferees sitting right next to you, voted FOR THE LANGUAGE?!” Check out the link embedded in the post (http://www.familyfoundationblog.com/?p=155) which details the senate vote to ban funding to PP. Was all that sweat and hard work, and outsmarting the libs on their home court, for nothing? Are you in the habbit of celebrating pyhric (sp?) wins? The House Republicans litterally snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.