Republicans are desperate. Trump is as unpopular as he's ever been, he just surrendered unconditionally to Nancy Pelosi after a disastrous and unnecessary 35 day government shutdown of his own creation, and he's threatening to do again but this time with the promise of crashing the world's economy at the same time. Even the nonstop spin of Fox News, AM Hate Radio, and right wing hate sites can't put a positive spin the rolling dumpster fire that is the Trump regime. So it's time to for a distraction and hysterical screaming about murdering babies is always guaranteed to occupy the lizard brains of the GOP's base. That's why the right wing smear machine exploded into high gear yesterday to attack Virginia Governor Ralph Northam by twisting his words. ADVERTISEMENT Thanks for watching! Visit Website Here's the partial quote the right is using to call Northam a "baby killer": ADVERTISEMENT Thanks for watching! Visit Website ADVERTISEMENT Thanks for watching! Visit Website “If a mother is in labor...the infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians & mother" Here's the entire quote and you'll quickly see why they left the rest out: The procedures, he said, are “done in cases where there may be severe deformities. There may be a fetus that’s not viable. So in this particular example, if a mother’s in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen. The infant would be delivered, the infant would be kept comfortable, the infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired. And then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother.” Suddenly, we're not talking about a healthy, viable baby but one that will not survive. But that's not the narrative the outrage machine of the right wants to push so they're just ignoring that part. Not just ignoring it but aggressivley ignoring it and screaming about murdering babies. When asked how one can murder a baby that's already dying by allowing it to die, the responses range from incoherent rage to...more incoherent rage. Exactly what the right wing noise machine is looking for. The right tried to make a thing out of this focused on Del. Kathy Tran (D-Fairfax) and also in New York state but it didn't gain any real traction; presumably because Tran wasn't a big enough target and New York is a lost cause for the GOP. That changed when Gov. Northam got involved and the right wing noise machine started churning out a coordinated series of hit pieces. This hysteria serves three purposes: 1. Next week, the Supreme Court will decide whether or not states can de facto ban abortion by way of TRAP laws. If they rule in favor of the restrictive laws, abortion will become unavailable in every state controlled by Republicans. Fabricating the "horrors" of abortion is necessary for the right to accept this assault on women. 2. Virginia is just 2 seats away in both the State House and State Senate from flipping to control of the Democrats and all of those seats are up for reelection this November. Even with the GOP's extreme gerrymandering and voter suppression in place, Trump's unpopularity almost cost Republicans control in 2017. It will be much worse in 2019 and if Republicans lose control of both chambers, they lose their ability to steal elections. That will be the end of Virginia as a reliable swing state. Turning Gov. Northam into a baby murdering psychopath will, Republicans hope, overcome the drag of having Trump as the leader of the GOP. 3. Speaking of Trump, Republicans really, really, need something, anything, to distract their base from the nightmare that is Trump as president. His shut down was wildly unpopular, poorly planned (actually, it wasn't planned at all), cost the economy billions, exposed just how out of touch and callous his regime is, and in the end, he surrendered completely and looks weaker than ever (and that's saying something). Worse, he's threatening to do it all again in two weeks and on top of that, some of his enablers are telling him to tie the next round of hostage taking to the debt ceiling so the next shutdown will go from catastrophic to apocalyptic. If I were the right wing noise machine, I would be kicking up so much dust that my base would be choking on it. Distraction is the only thing that will keep the MAGA rubes from realizing just how pathetic Trump really is and just how bad he's been for the economy. Because if the base figures that out, 2020 will make the blue wave of 2018 look like ripple in a pond. Wildly irresponsible The worst part about this is that Republicans are well aware of how their hysterical lies about abortion have resulted in violence and they don't care. Doctors, nurses, security guards, and patients have all been murdered by right wing terrorists because of the unhinged rhetoric of the forced-birth movement. Bill O'Reilly spent years calling Dr. George Tiller a "baby killer" on TV until someone killed him. After a right wing group doctored videos of a meeting with Planned Parenthood representatives, one right wing terrorist attacked a clinic and killed three people. And that's aside from all of the clinics that have been firebombed and all the death threats over the years. Republicans and the right wing echo chamber are quite aware of the violence their rhetoric can inspire and they're doing it anyway because as far as they're concerned, a few days of political gain are worth the risk of long term political violence. The damage being done to the national discourse is irrelevant because the only thing that matters is getting those poll numbers back up right now. This is the short term thinking that has turned the right into a cesspit of mindless rage and white nationalist fascism.<doc-sep>Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment For those who question whether abortion is really “baby killing,” the governor of Virginia, Ralph Northam, has left us no doubt. Not only does he advocate the possible killing of a newborn baby, he wants us to be “civil” when discussing it. This is reminiscent of Nazi leaders discussing the slaughter of Jewish children, women, and men in icy, dispassionate terms the way an accountant would discuss balancing the books. Such is the face of evil. Earlier in the week, it was reported that, “During a radio interview on Wednesday morning, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) seemed to endorse killing an infant after it has already been delivered alive (specifically, in the case of a baby surviving an abortion). “In the scenario described by Northam, a baby would be born alive and resuscitated if necessary, and then doctors and the mother could ‘have a discussion’ which, based on context, would determine whether or not the child would be killed. While pro-life advocates view all abortion as infanticide, what Northam described would be infanticide by any definition.” This, of course, is the deadly and logical progression of the spirit of abortion. It is not satisfied with terminating the life of a 12-week-old baby which could not live outside the womb. It is not satisfied with terminating the life of a 32-week-old baby which could live outside the womb. It must also kill the baby outside the womb if the baby somehow managed to survive an abortion. That’s what the infamous Kermit Gosnell did. Killing babies inside the womb wasn’t enough. To repeat: This is the deadly and logical progression. That’s why, in 1995, President Clinton vetoed the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act. Then, 20 years later, in 2015, President Obama promised to veto the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act (HR 3504). As stated by Carol Tobias, president of the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), “President Obama's subservience to the abortion lobby is so complete that he now threatens to use his pen to protect the abortionist who would kill a baby born alive, rather than to protect that helpless baby.” Getting back to the Gov. Northam, after his initial comments drew so much controversy, a reporter asked him, “Some members of your party have said privately that, and maybe one publicly, that your comments yesterday could have been more precise, or they weren't helpful.” So, he was asked, “Do you think, do you regret what you said yesterday or the way you said it?” Northam replied without hesitation: “No I don't.” And then this, which is utterly baffling and completely contrary to the life-saving ethic of the medical profession: “I'm a physician. I'm also the governor.” He continued, “But when I'm asked questions, a lot of the times it is put in the context of being a physician, again realizing how we approach, how we manage patients, how we offer advice and counseling, so no I don't have any regrets.” So, he had no regrets about making his barbarous comments about killing a newborn baby. (And remember: The context of those comments was the proposal of a new abortion Virginia law that would have allowed a full-term, pregnant woman who was already dilating to choose to abort the baby even for alleged mental health reasons.) None of that troubled the governor. Instead, he said, “But I do find that how my comments, I did answer that question, I regret that those comments have been mischaracterized, the personal insults towards me I really find disgusting.” No, Gov. Northam. It was your comments that were disgusting, sir. It was your beyond-extreme, pro-abortion, baby-killing words that were disgusting. And while I regret that some people have responded to your ill-spoken words with ugly words of their own, you, sir, bear the responsibility for making such an evil suggestion. Or perhaps we should expand the parents’ “discussion” about whether to let any handicapped baby live? Or what about any unwanted baby? Maybe kill that one too? And yet there’s more. Gov. Northam ended his response with this: “So again as I said in my comments about this earlier, we can agree to disagree, but let's be civil about it.” What? Let’s “agree to disagree” about the ethics of infanticide? Let’s “be civil” about terminating the life of a newborn? With all respect, sir, that is not going to happen. Not as long as there are Americans with a conscience. Not as long as there are Americans with a heart. We do recognize that abortion can sometimes be an agonizingly difficult choice for a pregnant woman, like a 16-year-old raped by her drunken uncle. While we still say that abortion was the wrong choice, we do not condemn the teen as a moral monster. In contrast, just as New York’s new abortion law is monstrous and just as the failed Virginia proposal is monstrous, so also the governor’s comments are monstrous – and beyond. Gov. Northam, we will never “agree to disagree” with you about infanticide. As Vice President Pence wrote, what you’re advocating “is morally reprehensible and evil.” May the Lord grant you repentance.<doc-sep>President Donald Trump, with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence looking on, delivers the State of the Union address in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington on Feb. 5, 2019. (Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images) Trump: Governor of Virginia ‘Stated He Would Execute a Baby After Birth’ President Donald Trump slammed Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam‘s recent comments on killing babies after birth during his State of the Union speech, saying Northam advocated for murder. “We had the case of the Governor of Virginia where he stated he would execute a baby after birth,” Trump said during the State of the Union speech in Washington on Feb. 5. Northam made the comments during a radio interview in support of legislation that would have allowed abortion up until the moments before a child is born with the approval of just one doctor. “In this particular example, if a mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen. The infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired,” Gov. Ralph Northam said during a Jan. 30 interview on WTOP. “And then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother.” Trump, who has been ardently pro-life since announcing he was running for president, said during the speech that his administration is working on a plan for nationwide paid family leave “so that every new parent has the chance to bond with their newborn child.” “There could be no greater contrast to the beautiful image of a mother holding her infant child than the chilling displays our nation saw in recent days,” he added. “Lawmakers in New York cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother’s womb moments before birth. These are living, feeling, beautiful babies who will never get the chance to share their love and dreams with the world.” VA gov on abortion this morning: “If a mother is in labor…the infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians & mother” pic.twitter.com/cc15pVLjIQ — Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) January 30, 2019 New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation on Jan. 22 that allows mothers to abort children up until birth if seen as necessary to protect the life or health of the mother. The term “health” was not defined in the new law. Cuomo called the passing of the bill a “historic victory for New Yorkers and for our progressive values.” Trump then slammed Northam’s comments. “To defend the dignity of every person, I am asking the Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in the mother’s womb,” he said. “Let us work together to build a culture that cherishes innocent life. And let us reaffirm a fundamental truth: all children—born and unborn—are made in the holy image of God.” Trump’s comments came a day after a Democratic senator blocked a bill that would guarantee care for babies that survive abortion, which was introduced in the uproar following Northam’s comments. Late-Term Abortions Opposed by Majority While several states move or attempt to move toward allowing abortion up to a child’s birth, the majority of Americans don’t support abortions in the second or third trimesters. In the latest poll by Gallup, released in 2018, 60 percent of respondents said that abortions in the first three months should be legal but 72 percent said that abortions should be illegal in the second trimester. And 87 percent said that abortions should be illegal in the final trimester, or in the final three months before full term. Gallup did not ask if people supported killing babies after they were born, as was suggested by Gov. Northam. “Most Americans generally see some reason for abortion to be legal, but far more think it should be legal in the first trimester than in the second or third,” Gallup summarized. The view has held for decades. In 2003, for instance, 68 percent of respondents said that abortions should be illegal in the second trimester and 84 percent of people said abortions should be illegal in the third trimester. From NTD.com<doc-sep>Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (Screen Capture) Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam of Virginia, who is a pediatric neurologist, said in a press conference on Thursday that he does not regret what he said yesterday about letting a born baby die or the way he said it. “Do you regret what you said yesterday or the way you said it?” a reporter asked Northam. “No I don’t,” Northam responded. On WTOP radio on Wednesday morning, Northam was asked by reporter Julie Carey about an exchange that had happened the day before in committee of the Virginia House of Delegates. Here is the exchange as transcribed by CNSNews.com’s Emily Ward yesterday: Carey: “...T]here was a very contentious committee hearing yesterday, when Fairfax County Delegate Kathy Tran made her case for lifting restrictions on third-trimester abortions, as well as other restrictions now in place, and she was pressed by a Republican delegate about whether her bill would permit an abortion even as a woman is, essentially, dilating--ready to give birth--and she answered that it would permit an abortion at that stage of labor. Do you support her measure? And explain her answer.” Northam: “You know, I wasn’t there, Julie, and I certainly can’t speak for Delegate Tran, but I will tell you, one, the first thing I would say is, this is why decisions such as this should be made by providers, physicians, and the mothers and fathers that, that are involved. “There are, you know, when we talk about third trimester abortions, these are done with the consent of, obviously, the mother, with the consent of the physicians – more than one physician, by the way – and it’s done in cases where there may be severe deformities, there may be a fetus that’s non-viable. “So, in this particular example, if a mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen. The infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother. “So, so, I think this was really blown out of proportion, but, again, we want the government not to be involved in these types of decisions. We want the decision to be made by the mothers and their providers, and, and this is why, Julie, that legislators, most of whom are men, by the way, shouldn’t be telling a woman what she should and shouldn’t be doing with her body.” Carey: “And do you think multiple physicians should have weigh in, as is currently required? She’s trying to lift that requirement.” Northam: “Well, I think it’s always good to get a second opinion, and for, for at least two providers to be involved in that decision, because these decisions shouldn’t be taken lightly, and so, you know, I would certainly support more than one provider.” Following Northam’s explanation of the procedure he thinks should be followed in allowing a born baby to die, there was outrage from Americans who do not believe a born baby should be allowed to die. For example, as reported by CNSNews.com, Sen. Ben Sasse (R.-Neb.) said the following: “This is morally repugnant. In just a few years pro-abortion zealots went from ‘safe, legal, and rare’ to ‘keep the newborns comfortable while the doctor debates infanticide.’ I don’t care what party you’re from — if you can’t say that it’s wrong to leave babies to die after birth, get the hell out of public office.” This afternoon, Northam held a press conference with other Democratic Virginia politicians to defend himself. (A video of the press conference can be seen by clicking here.) The reporter who asked Northam the last question in the press conference asked the governor if he regretted what he said on WTOP or how he said it. The governor said: “No, I don’t.” Here is a transcript of the full exchange between that reporter and Northam: Reporter: “Some members of your party have said privately that, and maybe one publicly, that your comments yesterday could have been more precise, or they weren’t helpful and that Delegate Tran’s defense of her bill could have been done in a better way. Do you think, do you regret what you said yesterday or the way you said it?<doc-sep>
During his rally in El Paso, TX, Donald Trump said Ralph Northam would allow executions of newborn babies. President Donald Trump accurately paraphrased Gov. Ralph Northam (D-VA), who recently hinted at legally-permitted termination of newborn babies in a radio interview defending a Virginia Democrat’s abortion legislation, during his Monday rally in El Paso, TX. Trump said that Northam “would even allow a newborn baby to come out into the world… and then execute the baby,” even after wrapping and comforting the child: Democrats are also pushing extreme late-term abortion. Allowing children to be ripped from their mother’s womb right up until the moment of birth. What’s that all about? So in Virginia, the governor… stated that he would even allow a newborn baby to come out into the world and wrap the baby and make the baby comfortable, and then talk to the mother, and talk to the father, and then execute the baby. Execute the baby. Last week, Trump similarly described Northam’s opposition to all temporal limitations on abortion as akin to enabling executions of babies during his State of the Union Address: The Governor of Virginia… basically stated he would execute a baby after birth. To defend the dignity of every person, I am asking the Congress to pass legislation to prohibit the late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in the mother’s womb. In an interview with WTOP Radio on January 30, Northam described his support for legalization of late-term abortion — even as a mother is “dilating,” per state delegate Kathy Tran — and took the concept further, discussing euthanizing newborn babies even after comforting and “resuscitating” them: When we talk about third-trimester abortions, these are done with the consent of, obviously, the mother, with the consent of the physicians — more than one physician, by the way — and it’s done in cases where there may be severe deformities, there may be a fetus that’s non-viable. So in this particular example, if a mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen. The infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mothers. While Trump used the more explicit term “execute,” both Northam and Tran use the euphemism of a “discussion” or a “decision” between the mother and doctors to terminate the life of the child. Vox’s Aaron Rupar framed Trump’s description of Northam’s position on abortion as a lie. Holy shit — Trump falsely accuses Ralph Northam of saying he supports “a newborn baby [coming] out into the world, and wrap the baby, make the baby comfortable, & then talk to the mother & talk to the father and then execute the baby. Execute the baby!” Huge, angry boos. pic.twitter.com/VZaZXVoi7Y — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 12, 2019 In an op-ed for Vox (labeled an “explainer”), Rupar takes a denial from the governor’s staff at face value and glosses over the radio interview with semantics: [A] spokesperson for the governor told Vox that he had “absolutely not” been referring to infanticide. “The governor’s comments focused on the tragic and extremely rare case in which a woman with a nonviable pregnancy or severe fetal abnormalities went into labor,” the spokesperson said. … Infanticide is illegal in Virginia. HB 2491, which has now been tabled, would not make it legal. No abortion rights groups support it. Northam’s comments may have done a disservice to supporters of loosening abortion restrictions in Virginia, but no one in the state is actually saying it should be legal to execute babies after they are born. The governor’s denial, however, still allows for the possibility of terminating a baby after it is born — “extremely rare case” or no, it does not change the species of the child or the fact that its life is cut short by violence done to its body. Which is the more accurate description of that action: “execute” or “discuss”? Follow Robert Kraychik on Twitter.