Imagine yourself in this pickle. You're Tim Kaine, the Democratic governor of Virginia (for a few more months). You've worked assiduously to cultivate a moderate image on abortion, although in practice you are relentlessly pro-abortion.
The legislature passes a bill which allows for a specialty license plate ("Choose Life"). A portion of the proceeds will go to crisis pregnancy centers. If you can't sign this--which limits/bans/restricts nothing-- what could you sign?
But you're also the hand-picked choice of pro-abortion-to-the maximum President Barack Obama to lead the Democratic National Committee. For reasons best left to psychiatrists, the Abortion Establishment has worked itself into a lather over the prospects of a few bucks going into the hands of essentially all-volunteer organizations whose budget is roughly a zillionth of PPFA's.
NARAL and PPFA orchestrate a phony baloney "grassroots" campaign to crank out letters and emails to the governor, telling him that crisis pregnancy centers--far from doing saintly work--are of the devil. If you allow a nickel to go into the hands of these cretins, well, we have long memories.
But there is, of course, the larger backdrop. Obama won a lot of votes in 2008 and Democrats more than a few congressional seats by essentially saying that we Democrats are all for "reducing the number of abortions," and we won't act as crazy as usual if you give us control over the levers of power.
So what does Kaine do? He "infuriates abortion backers," as Politico.com headlined the story, by signing the legislation.
(An interesting summary of pro-abortionists' objections to CPCs: "The revenue from the specialty plates [actually only a portion] would go to crisis-pregnancy centers, which many abortion-rights backers believe proselytize against abortion and encourage women to keep unwanted children." Imagine that. What will they do next? Help the women find resources? Point out the father's legal obligation? Tend to their spiritual needs? Oh, sorry, they already do that as well.)
In his message, Kaine concluded with this zinger.
"I sign this legislation today in keeping with the Commonwealth's longtime practice of approving specialty plates with all manner of political and social messages. Furthermore, if Planned Parenthood--an organization that is already a recipient of state budget funds--or another similar organization ever chooses to seek a specialty license plate in Virginia, I believe the Constitution would require the state to approve that plate to protect against any viewpoint discrimination." (Emphasis mine.)
In other words, PPFA you already are and may always be on the receiving end of state (and federal) largess. Besides, if you want to do your own specialty plate (something like "Every Unwanted Child a Dead Child"), go for it.
Contact: Dave Andrusko
Source: National Right to Life
Publish Date: March 31, 2009
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