This past Sunday, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) stated that he is going to stand in support of a new 15-week abortion ban for his state in the wake of the recent Supreme Court declaration that saw the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
These comments were shared by the Governor as part of an interview on “Face the Nation” by CBS News.
“Think about it, this was a state… that just 18 months ago was talking about enabling abortion all the way up through and including birth,” he explained. “And now we’re able to talk about a 15-week pain threshold bill where a baby feels pain. This is a remarkable moment for us. And it’s an opportunity, I’m not going to let go.”
GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin wouldn't say if he would ever pursue a total ban on abortion, but has proposed a 15-week ban.
"I believe we can get a 15-week pain threshold bill done in Virginia for the first time…It's an opportunity I'm not going to let go." pic.twitter.com/yq4HR9Nh1j
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) July 10, 2022
Youngkin has since sounded the call for a group of bipartisan lawmakers to assist in the development of the new bill seeking to limit abortions in the state.
“This in Virginia is a debate that we are going to run to the Supreme Court’s decision. I agree that this is a decision for states to make by elected officials, by the citizens of Virginia, and that’s why, right out of the box, I called for a 15-week pain threshold bill to be formed and crafted by a bipartisan group of legislators,” explained the governor as part of his interview.
Youngkin labeled the opportunity as a “moment” for the country to finally issue its decisions about the issue of life in the womb.
“I think this is what it’s all about… this is a moment for our country to have a discussion around this and each state will decide something different,” he continued. “And I think that’s the real value of the Supreme Court’s decision.”
The Governor was also forced to face questions in regard to his actions around the attempts to ban the teaching of critical race theory and many other “divisive” concepts in public schools.
“One of the things we have to do is teach all of our history, but we shouldn’t play privilege bingo with children,” explained Youngkin.
On his actions to try and ban the teaching of critical race theory and "divisive concepts," GOP Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin says:
"One of the things we have to do is teach all of our history, but we shouldn't play privilege bingo with children." pic.twitter.com/NrsuAocS0F
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) July 10, 2022
To go along with the battle in Virginia, another one has sprung up about the pro-life laws that have cropped up throughout multiple states in the wake of the June 24th decision to hand the power to determine abortion laws back to the individual states.
A group of 13 states had in place a series of trigger laws that were built to go into effect as soon as Roe v. Wade was overturned. States that had prepared trigger ban laws included Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky.
A group of five states — Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Ohio, and Iowa– have also chosen to pass abortion limiting laws that were previously overturned in court and could not go into effect.