The president of West
Virginians for Life said Governor Earl Ray Tomblin can no longer
call himself “pro-life” following his Friday veto of HB 4588, the Pain Capable
Unborn Child Protection Act.
The bill the Legislature approved
during the 2014 Regular Legislative Session would have banned abortions after
20 weeks into a pregnancy except in cases of medical emergencies. If the
bill had become law, doctors performing such abortions could have faced
criminal charges.
The veto, though, will likely not
be the end of the matter.
On Monday, Dr. Wanda Franz with West Virginians for Life and other supporters of the
legislation were looking into the possibility of a Special Session to
give lawmakers the opportunity to either override the veto or even pass the
bill again.
Franz said the issue is too
important to wait until the 2015 Regular Legislative Session. “We’re
definitely going to take action and it looks like a Special Session is the way
to go,” she said.
House Minority Leader Tim Armstead (R-Kanawha, 40) said, even if
Gov. Tomblin refused to call a Special Session to address the bill,
according to state law, he would have to do so if three-fifths of the members
of both the state Senate and state House of Delegates requested it.
