Virginia governor comes under fire for endorsing 'post-birth abortion' amid furious backlash after lawmaker proposed bill allowing termination during labor 

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Virginia's governor has drawn backlash after suggesting that a pregnancy could be terminated after the baby's birth, as the state debates a bill relaxing restrictions on third trimester abortions.

Governor Ralph Northam, a Democrat, made the shocking remarks in an interview with WTOP-FM on Wednesday, as he attempted to explain a Democrat delagate's earlier remarks.

Northam, a pediatric neurologist, described a hypothetical situation where a severely deformed newborn infant could be left to die.

He said that if a woman were to desire an abortion as she's going into labor, the baby would be delivered and then 'resuscitated if that's what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue' between doctors and the mother.

Governor Ralph Northam (seen last week), a Democrat, made the shocking remarks in an interview with WTOP-FM on Wednesday

Northam was responding to remarks made on Tuesday by Democratic Delegate Kathy Tran, video of which went viral, sparking fury.

In the video, Republican Delegate Todd Gilbert asks Tran whether her legislation would let a pregnant woman who is dilating request an abortion if a doctor certified that the woman's mental health was impaired.

'My bill would allow that, yes,' Tran said. On Wednesday afternoon, the bill was defeated in committee on a party-line vote.

Existing Virginia state law does not put an absolute time limit on abortions and Tran's legislation did not alter that.

Her legislation would reduce the number of doctors who would have to certify late-term abortions are needed from three to one. 

It would also delete the requirement that doctors determine that continuing a pregnancy would 'substantially and irremediably' impair a woman's health. Instead doctors would only have to certify that the woman's health was impaired.

Virginia Democratic Delegate Kathy Tran (left) proposed a bill for abortions up until the moment of delivery to the Republican House majority leader on Monday

Supporters said the changes in law would help reduce the bureaucratic burdens women face when dealing with difficult decisions involving late-term abortions, which often involve serious medical complications.

'We must trust women and their health care providers,' Tran said at a Monday subcommittee hearing, where her exchange with Gilbert was recorded.

Opponents of the legislation, which has failed in both the state House and Senate, said it would give essentially allow for late abortions on demand.

Prominent Republicans and conservative media outlets helped spread the video exchange to a wide audience, with more than 2 million views as of Wednesday.

'This is insanity. Seems like advocating for Post Term Abortion AKA MURDER by any standard I’m aware of,' Don Trump Jr said of Northam's remarks.  

'What is happening in our country. This literally makes me sick to my stomach,' tweeted Nikki Haley, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, in response to the video.

 

 

Former Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin said of Northam's remarks: 'Those who never imagined society would actually get there - state governments sanctioning infanticide - must logically understand what gets accepted next #deathpanels.' 

The controversy came the same week that a new law in New York was passed allowing abortions up until birth.  

Kentucky's Governor Matt Bevin was also motivated to tweet about the proposed legislation. 

'First New York, and now a proposed Virginia bill that would legalize abortion up to the moment of birth... This is a sad commentary on the culture of death that continues to creep insidiously into the laws of our county...' Bevin wrote.

Florida Senator Marco Rubio also spoke out, tweeting that Northam is openly supporting legal infanticide.

Yheskel, the governor's spokeswoman, said Northam was only trying to describe the 'tragic or difficult circumstances' involved in a late-term abortion.

'Attempts to extrapolate these comments otherwise is in bad faith and underscores exactly why the governor believes physicians and women, not legislators, should make these difficult and deeply personal medical decisions,' she said.