Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe vetoed a bill Tuesday that aimed to defund Planned Parenthood.
The Democrat did so from the Planned Parenthood branch in Richmond, Va.
“We’re here today to smack down the latest attack on women’s health care rights,” McAuliffe said, at the event, which included Planned Parenthood patients, board members and staff, according to the Virginia-Pilot. “I am very proud of my strong record on reproductive rights, and let me tell you this, I am very proud to veto this particular piece of legislation.”
The legislation, which was passed by a Republican-controlled General Assembly earlier this year down party lines, would have prevented Virginia’s health department from offering any grants to organizations that provide abortions, except for hospitals.
McAuliffe had prior to Tuesday that he would veto the bill when it came to his desk, claiming it would cancel existing contracts between the state’s health department and the Virginia League for Planned Parenthood to do about 500 STD tests annually the nonprofit’s facilities in Richmond, Virginia Beach and Hampton.
After the veto, Planned Parenthood gave McAuliffe a stack of thank-you cards from across Virginia.
“It’s no secret that this bill is aimed at destroying Planned Parenthood. We will not tolerate socially divisive issues that put walls up,” McAuliffe said in his official statement vetoing the bill, hinting that the legislation would have prevented outside businesses from wanting to business in Virginia.
In a statement, Del. Ben Cline, R-Amherst County, the sponsor of the bio, said he was “disappointed” in McAuliffe’s decision, claiming the governor is “clearly listening to his friends in the abortion lobby, rather than ensuring that women have access to quality care.”
Louisiana and Georgia are two states in the middle of legal battles over their respective decisions to defund Planned Parenthood.
