Video of a House subcommittee hearing in the Virginia legislature has been seen by millions over the past few days that detailed the shocking truth about a controversial late-term abortion bill introduced into the 2019 General Assembly session.
Known as the Repeal Act, which was introduced as H.B. 2491 by Delegate Kathy Tran (D-Springfield), the bill would repeal restrictions on third trimester abortions, allow abortion doctors to self-certify the necessity of late term procedures, eliminate informed consent requirements, repeal abortion clinic health and safety standards, permit late-term abortions to be performed in outpatient clinics, remove ultrasound requirements, and eliminate Virginia’s 24-hour waiting period.
Democrats have accosted Republicans in the aftermath of the reactions to the video, believing the release was nothing but a political hit job. In the two days since the video was made public, Democratic leaders have doubled down on the legislation, vowing that – even though the bill died before crossover in this year’s session – it will be honored if their party regains the majority in the General Assembly in November 2019.
House Minority Leader Eileen Filler-Corn (D-Fairfax) rose to make a speech on the floor of the lower chamber about what she characterized as the “incident that happened in one of our committees that spilled into cyberspace.”
“A video of one of our members was posted on social media by what I had hoped was an overzealous staffer from the other side of the aisle,” the minority leader said. She stated that the video was “deliberately misleading and clearly was part of an orchestrated ambush.”
“The resulting video, which was selectively edited, and the accompanying tweet and Facebook post, were completely and deliberately, I believe, mischaracterized…mischaracterizing the legislation.”
Delegate Filler-Corn remarked that the video, the tweets, the Facebook posts, and the comments from others, “were made to inflame passions throughout the social media echo chamber, and they succeeded.”
“What was the result?” she asked. “Ongoing harassment, intimidation against the patron, several members of this body, their families, and their children.”
Responding to the remarks, House Majority Leader Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandoah) stood to speak next.
“The minority leader used some strong words,” he began.
“I was there Mr. Speaker, for the whole thing, and there was a video of the whole thing, and the video of the whole thing is available out there for people to see.”
Gilbert is the chairman of the House Courts of Justice subcommittee. In the video where Delegate Tran is explaining her bill, Gilbert is the one who is questioning her.
The long-form video of the subcommittee hearing is below:
Continuing his floor speech, the majority leader said, “I think what my Democratic colleagues are most concerned about is what this moment actually revealed. It was a moment of unbridled honesty about their agenda, and their legislation, and what it actually does.”
“That’s what they don’t like about this…the honesty that was exhibited.”
“What this bill did was remove any meaningful limitations on the right to an abortion up until the moment of birth, and without any limitation whatsoever,” he added. “The fact that the questions were answered honestly is, on the one hand, refreshing, and on the other, quite horrifying.”
Speaking to the threats Delegate Tran and other Democratic lawmakers have received, Gilbert stated, “No member of this body should have to endure personal threats to themselves, their family, and especially towards their precious children. No member should have to endure that, and we abhor that conduct, and stand with our colleague…over those threats.”
“Let’s be clear, Mr. Speaker,” the Republican majority leader continued, “the attempts to mischaracterize, to claim that it [the video] was something other than what it was…might be the only avenue one can take when it is the actual words, and the actual meaning, and the actual honesty that you are trying to hide.”
“I hope all of Virginia, even those who consider themselves pro-choice…saw the agenda that was on display,” Gilbert said. “To put it in the starkest terms…it may have been the only way to show them what the agenda is. It’s the honest assessment of this agenda that our colleagues are truly trying to distract us from today.”