VA Gov. McAuliffe Vetoes Religious Liberty & PP Defunding Bills in Span of Two Days��

To the surprise of really no one, the Democratic governor of Virginia, Terry McAuliffe, used the power of the pen to prevent two bills, oriented in what might be called ���traditional Christian values,��� from becoming law in that state over the course of this Tuesday and Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the governor put the kibosh on a bill that would have divested Planned Parenthood of the taxpayer monies of Virginia citizens. Leaving no doubt as to where he stood on the issue, McAuliffe went to a Richmond PP abortion clinic for the veto ceremony. McAuliffe, in his address, made no reference to abortion, and instead framed the narrative in terms of the purposely-vague notion of ���women���s health,��� saying, in part, ���We are here today to smack down the latest attack on ladies��� healthcare rights.���

The next day, Wednesday, the governor vetoed a bill that would have given religious parishes and wedding vendors the right to refuse service to same-sex couples. According to McAuliffe, the portions of the bill that exceeded the ���legitimate��� protections afforded by the First Amendment were discriminatory against the gay community.

Publicity on behalf of the fight over similar ���religious liberty��� measures sought in Georgia and North Carolina was much greater in those states, as it was not certain, as the bills were winding their way through the legislatures, how each of those states��� governors would ultimately act should the measures end up on their desks. As it turned out, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory signed into law the proposed measure in his state, while Gov. Nathan Deal of Georgia vetoed the ���religious liberty��� bill proposed in his.

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large