This afternoon, HB1, also known as the “Personhood” Bill passed out of the Senate Committee on Education and Health with a party line vote of 8-7. Chesterfield Senator Steve Martin chairs the committee. The measure headed to the full Senate floor this afternoon.
Steve Martin has been my friend longer than he’s been my Senator. He was an active member of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) when I worked there in the late 80s and early 90s. So, I know his record on life.
Still, inexplicably this week a series of robo-calls were placed in Senator Martin’s district accusing the senator of betraying the pro-life movement.
Sources tell us that the Virginia Christian Alliance was behind the calls. Perhaps so because earlier this week over at Virginia Right wrote “Will HB 1 pass the Virginia Senate?· Perhaps only Governor McDonnell and Lt. Governor Bolling know, or maybe Senator Steve Martin of Chesterfield knows, since he chairs the Senate Committee that will hear the bill.· Maybe Senator Bill Stanley knows.· Who knows?· None of these men are championing HB 1.”
The calls implied that Senator Martin was bringing the bill to his committee for the purpose of killing the bill. This was based on a conversation the Senator had where he was merely describing the obstacles faced by the bill. As noted, the bill passed. Well…oops…
Looks like someone has been bearing false witness.
Steve has been a champion of life issues for more than two decades. And he continues to be so. This is a clear case of emotions getting in the way of facts.
The Virginia Christian Alliance, and anyone else associated with these calls owe him, and any other Senator they targeted, an apology.
This afternoon the Senate returned the HB1 to the committee by a vote of 24-14. The bill was continued in committee until 2013. In other words, it, and millions more babies, are dead.
