Free Republic

West Virginia is set to become the 26th state with a so-called right-to-work law. State lawmakers rebuked Thursday's veto by Democratic Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, voting along party lines in their House and Senate. Some House Republicans voted "no," though only a simple majority was required. ...

[JURIST] The West Virginia Legislature [official website] on Friday overrode the governor's veto, passing a bill [text, HB 2586] banning abortion after 20 weeks. Governor Earl Ray Tomblin [official website] said he vetoed the law because of concerns over its constitutionality and would have preferred a later gestational period for banning abortion. The bill excludes [AP report] certain cases of medical emergencies and is set to take effect in May. West Virginia is now the 11th state to ban abortion after 20 weeks. The legislation is based on the premise that fetuses can feel pain starting around 20 weeks, a...

The newly elected Republican legislature in West Virginia flexed its muscles today by overriding Democratic Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin veto of an abortion law that would ban the practice after 20 weeks. In other words, late-term abortion is banned in West Virginia (via AP): The ban provides some exemptions for women in medical emergencies, but not for rape and incest. The bill is based on the assertion that fetuses can feel pain at 20 weeks, which is disputed in medical research. Opponents say it's unconstitutional and intrusive into doctor-patient relationships. Ten other states ban abortions after 20 weeks. The West Virginia...

"As I stated on March 28, the language contained in House Bill 4588 is unconstitutional. I encourage legislators not to call themselves into a special session to revisit the same issue. Should members of the Legislature take the same action again, I will again veto the bill. As I also said on March 28, I am proud of my pro-life record, and I would be happy to work with members of the Legislature during the 2015 regular session to pass a bill that is constitutional." Friday Marks 2 Years Since Murder of Charleston Man More From Our Partners

Last Friday, the Democrat, formerly self-proclaimed pro-life Governor of West Virginia, Earl Ray Tomblin, vetoed a late-term abortion bill, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (HB 4588). This commonsense bill bans abortions after 20 weeks when preborn children have been scientifically proven to feel excruciating pain during an abortion. Despite passing with 80% support from both the Democrat-led West Virginia House and Senate, Governor Tomblin shamefully vetoed the late-term abortion ban, obliterated his pro-life record, and aligned himself with a small minority of Americans who believe abortion should be legal in all 9 months of pregnancy, for any reason. With...

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- Members of West Virginians for Life rallied Tuesday in Charleston and had a candlelight vigil later that night at the Governor's Mansion. It was in protest of Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin's veto of House Bill 4588 -- the so-called Abortion Bill. It would have prevented abortions after 20 weeks unless there were overriding medical concerns for the mother's health and life. Organizers of the vigil said they wanted to show Tomblin how they felt about the veto of a bill putting new restrictions on late-term abortions.

One of the members of the U.S. Senate who says he is pro-life on abortion has not yet co-sponsored the most important piece of legislation in the Senate that would ban abortions after 20 weeks based on scientific evidence showing unborn babies feel pain. That’s the question the Susan B. Anthony List wants to get answered. joemanchinTo put pressure on Manchin to support the bill, the SBA List today informed LifeNews of a $20,000 radio ad buy encouraging Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia to become the first Democratic senator to cosponsor the federal Pain Capable Unborn Child Act. The...

CHARLESTON, WV, March 31, 2014 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Pro-life activists on both sides of the aisle are reacting to a veto from West Virginia's Democratic governor on a bill that would have banned most late-term abortions in the state. Despite bipartisan support for a statewide ban on most abortions after 20 weeks, West Virginia's governor vetoed the legislation after it reached his desk. The bill, which passed through the state's Democratic-controlled Senate and House by respective margins (29-5 and 79-17, respectively) is similar to laws enacted in many states and has passed the House of Representatives. Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin Gov....

Democratic Governor Earl Ray Tomblin, who describes himself as pro-life and campaigned as a pro-life candidate, has vetoed a bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. West Virginians for Life, the statewide pro-life group, tells LifeNews it is disappointed in Governor Tomblin’s veto of HB 4588, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. Similar bills have been passed in ten other states and Governor Tomblin is the only governor who has vetoed one of these bills. fetalpain2In his veto message, the Governor claimed that attorneys advised him the bill was unconstitutional. Many cite an Arizona law as proof,...

On Friday, West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin (D) vetoed a measure that would protect unborn children from abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act was passed with overwhelming bipartisan support by the Democrat-led state legislature. As Breitbart News reported on March 10, the West Virginia state Senate passed the measure, 29-5, with the support of 19 Democrats. The bill also passed in the state House by a vote of 79-17 with the support of 33 Democrats. The legislation, which would protect unborn children beginning at 20 weeks of pregnancy, is based on scientific evidence...

Three high-profile Democrats from West Virginia are not planning to attend the Democratic National Convention in September. Sen. Joe Manchin, Rep. Nick Rahall and Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin have opted not to go to the convention in Charlotte, according to a West Virginia Democratic Party press release. President Barack Obama is not popular in the state, and in 2010, Manchin ran a TV ad openly attacking the administration on cap-and-trade. Manchin, who is on the ballot again in November and does not face a difficult race, had already said this spring he wasn’t sure he would vote for Obama’s re-election.

Tuesday's Results: The Tea Party shows it's alive and well, Wisconsin's embattled governor gets more votes than the top two Democrats and a federal inmate gives the president a primary battle. The natives are still restless. Conservative pundit and IBD contributor Ann Coulter once said she, like many Americans, would rather vote for Jeffrey Dahmer, known for his unusual culinary choices, over President Obama. Federal prisoner Keith Russell Judd, 49, is not quite in Dahmer's league, but for a substantial portion of West Virginia Democrats, he is also preferable to our campaigner-in-chief. Judd is serving time at the Beaumont Federal...

West Virginia’s Democratic Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin said he is not endorsing President Barack Obama for re-election, saying the president “has apparently made it his mission to drive the backbone of West Virginia’s economy, coal and the energy industry, out of business.” Tomblin is running for re-election in the heavily Democratic and major coal-producing state this year. He won a special election for the governorship last year after Gov. Joe Manchin was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010. “As a loyal member of the Democratic party and as governor for our state, I will continue to do everything I...