Keep writing and calling your representatives
As futile as it often feels, public pressure campaigns can work.
West Virginia Senate Majority Whip Jay Taylor (R-Taylor) withdrew SB 51, for which he was the lead sponsor, yesterday as the result of a public pressure campaign.
West Virginia already has one of the strictest abortion bans in the nation. Abortion is only permitted in cases of ectopic pregnancy, medical emergency requiring termination to save the mother’s life (does not include psychological emergencies, like self-harm or threats of suicide), or when the fetus is nonviable. For cases of rape and incest, abortion is only permitted within the first 8 weeks (14 for a minor or incapacitated adult) and only if a report was made to law enforcement reporting the rape/incest.
SB 51 would have eliminated the exceptions for rape and incest altogether.
Taylor announced the bill’s withdrawal yesterday with a press release:
“I am announcing the withdrawal of Senate Bill 51, which I originally introduced with the intention of protecting the lives of unborn children. I have always believed that life begins at conception, and this belief guided my decision to support this bill for several years. However, I recognize now that reintroducing the bill this year was a mistake, particularly given its unrealistic path forward.
“I sincerely apologize to my friends and supporters whom I may have offended with this action. It was never my intent to cause distress, and I regret any unintended harm my actions may have caused.
“Recently, I have been the recipient of numerous communications, some of which have involved threats directed toward my family. This situation has deeply disturbed me, and I hope that withdrawing the bill, alongside my genuine apology, will help reduce tensions.
“I am committed to open dialogue and would welcome the opportunity for constructive conversations. Please feel free to reach out to me directly to discuss how we can collaboratively improve our beloved West Virginia, making it a better place for everyone to live, work, and raise a family.
“Thank you for your understanding, support, and prayers.”
IMPORTANT NOTE: Threatening government officials or employees — or their loved ones — is never OK. We cannot promote a truly better future by threatening those with whom we disagree into submission. That is not how we build a stronger, fairer, more responsive democracy.
Public pressure — without threats — can be effective.
SB 460 — the bill to roll back vaccination requirements — has been “laid over” on third reading for a second day now. It was fully expected to pass the full Senate when it hit third (and final) reading yesterday.
There’s still a chance it could pass tomorrow, but if we keep up the public pressure, maybe we can get it “laid over” permanently.
A few more bills to which I would like to draw your attention:
SB 299, to further restrict access to gender-affirming care, has moved to the Judiciary Committee.
HB 2400, to make it illegal to hand out absentee ballot applications (not absentee ballots — just the applications to request an absentee ballot), has moved to the House Legal Services Committee. This bill would make it significantly harder elderly people, people in assisted living or long-term care facilities, and even college students attending a school in West Virginia outside of their hometown to vote. As noted by the League of Women Voters, absentee ballot applications are a free document that can be found on the Secretary of State website. Making it illegal to give someone a blank application is a blatant attempt to make voting harder and to curb the activities of civic organizations that help connect people with the resources they need to vote.
HB 2033, to “prohibit, as a condition for eligibility to foster or adopt, by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Services, the requirement to affirm, accept or support any government policy regarding sexual orientation or gender identity that conflicts with the parent’s sincerely held religious or moral beliefs.” The part of this bill that most concerns me is this: “The West Virginia Department of Human Services may not establish or enforce any per se standard, rule, or policy, that precludes consideration of a current or prospective adoptive or foster parent for any particular placement based, in whole or in part, upon the parent’s sincerely held religious beliefs regarding sexual orientation or gender identity. Such beliefs shall not create a per se presumption that any particular placement is contrary to the best interest of the child.” Translation: The DHHR cannot take a person’s anti-LGBTQ sentiments into consideration when making a placement, which means they cannot justifiably refuse to place an LGBTQ+ child in an anti-LGBTQ home. But, of course, the bill protects a child’s and birth family’s right to refuse to have a child placed with an LGBTQ family. This is blatant discrimination, and it’s likely to further traumatize an already traumatized child.
Keep writing letters and making phone calls. Public pressure works. If enough of us clearly stand in opposition, we can stop many of these bad bills before they even come close to becoming law.
J. Nelson - Writer 