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In the Midterms, West Virginia votes to declare state constitution has no ‘right to abortion’
Life Site News ^ | 11/07/2018 | Calvin Freiburger

Posted on 11/07/2018 11:04:28 AM PST by SeekAndFind

Pro-lifers won a major victory in West Virginia Tuesday, as voters approved a ballot initiative clarifying that the state constitution contains no “right” to abortion.

With 97% of precincts reporting in, Amendment 1 passed by a margin of 17,184 votes, West Virginia Metro News reports. It amends the West Virginia Constitution to include a line stating, “Nothing in this Constitution secures or protects a right to abortion or requires the funding of abortion.”

The measure is meant to counteract a 1993 ruling by the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals that has long forced Medicaid to fund abortions as a state-level constitutional "right.” While its success does not affect or override Roe v. Wade, it does ensure that the state Constitution can’t be used as a basis to strike down duly-enacted pro-life laws in the Mountain State.

Pro-life scholar Michael New hailed the referendum as the most consequential pro-life success of the election, noting it will directly save “hundreds” of babies annually:

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Republican Senate candidates are having a good night, but in my opinion the most important pro-life victory was the passage of Amendment 1 in West Virginia. Stopping taxpayer funding for abortion will save hundreds of preborn lives every year! #ElectionNight #profile

— Michael New (@Michael_J_New) November 7, 2018

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“Over the years, West Virginia taxpayers have been forced to fund the destruction of more than 35,000 innocent unborn children – including late-term abortions – at a cost of nearly 10 million dollars. This outrageous abuse ends now,” Susan B. Anthony List president Marjorie Dannenfelser said. “SBA List’s field team spent months on the ground in West Virginia educating more than 110,000 voters, urging them to vote yes on this vital initiative. The passage of Amendment 1 is a victory for the Mountain State and we hope other states will follow their lead.”

SBA List spent $500,000 this campaign season to educate West Virginia voters on the amendment’s importance.

Reforms such as Amendment 1 are also critical to guarding against a growing threat identified in July by pro-life activist Rebecca Kiessling.

That month, she warned that pro-abortion groups in states such as Iowa, North Dakota, and Minnesota are filing lawsuits claiming a “right” to abortion rooted in state constitutions rather than Roe, preventing those states from voting on their own pro-life laws regardless of whether the U.S. Supreme Court upholds or overturns the 1973 ruling.

Days before surviving his re-election battle, U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-WV, announced he would oppose Amendment 1 on the grounds that it lacked a rape exception, despite the fact that it wasn’t a direct abortion ban and merely preserved his state’s right to pass pro-life laws and abstain from funding abortionists. Manchin claims to be pro-life, but has also opposed defunding Planned Parenthood.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: West Virginia
KEYWORDS: abortion; prolife; westvirginia

1 posted on 11/07/2018 11:04:28 AM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

WV has just figured out how to reopen Roe v. Wade.

Should be epic.


2 posted on 11/07/2018 11:05:20 AM PST by RinaseaofDs
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To: SeekAndFind
This actually is not a meaningless gesture. Back in 1993, the (then) liberal Supreme Court of West Virginia ruled that the State Constitution guaranteed the Right to an abortion. This had the effect of requiring Medicaid dollars be used to pay for abortion. By amending the state constitution the state can now legally stop using taxpayer dollars for abortion coverage. The democrats and abortion industry fought this tooth and nail and spent millions on ads claiming poor women would be getting cloths hanger abortions if this passed. I think that is the reason the vote was so close in an otherwise very pro-life state.
3 posted on 11/07/2018 11:11:29 AM PST by apillar
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To: apillar
The democrats and abortion industry fought this tooth and nail and spent millions on very dishonest ads claiming poor women would be getting cloths hanger abortions if this passed.

The "Vote No on 1" campaign was as sleazy as any I have witnessed.

4 posted on 11/07/2018 11:13:26 AM PST by NorthMountain (... the right of the peopIe to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed)
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To: SeekAndFind

Schizo voters?

Or bad programming on part of fraudsters?


5 posted on 11/07/2018 11:16:27 AM PST by petitfour (APPEAL TO HEAVEN)
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To: SeekAndFind

Looks like a State Supreme Court suffered an embarrassing slap down...


6 posted on 11/07/2018 11:31:31 AM PST by jeffc (The U.S. media are our enemy)
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To: SeekAndFind

Its culturally a Red State.

Not surprised it passed.


7 posted on 11/07/2018 11:47:45 AM PST by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
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