Virginia's former Governor Terry McAuliffe reportedly ushered the enshrinement of Roe v. Wade during the gubernatorial debate held on Tuesday.
Susan B. Anthony List called out in Twitter McAuliffe's "extreme" abortion stand and compared him to gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin who is the exact opposite.
"At the #VAGov debate @TerryMcAuliffe shows just how extreme he is on abortion: 'I'd like to see Roe v Wade enshrined in our constitution'," Susan B. Anthony List said on Tuesday.
"Glenn Youngkin rightfully called out McAuliffe's abortion extremism, highlighting the stark contrast between the two candidates," the pro-life organization added.
In a statement, SBA List condemned McAuliffe for his remarks during the debate. On the other hand, it praised Youngkin for reiterating "his commitment to protecting life," for calling "out his opponent Terry McAuliffe, for his abortion extremism," and for criticizing Governor Ralph Northam for endorsing infanticide.
SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser said McAuliffe's support "for abortion on demand" is contrary to what most Americans truly believe especially when it comes to taxpayer funds being used for the said procedure.
"Terry McAuliffe is an extremist who stands in lockstep with the abortion industry in support of late-term abortions on fully-developed unborn babies who feel pain, barbaric partial-birth abortions, and even infanticide--all paid for by taxpayer dollars. McAuliffe's position is morally repugnant and politically repellant. Most Americans, including Commonwealth voters, think abortion without limits is just too far," Dannenfelser remarked.
"Glenn Youngkin rightfully called out McAuliffe's extremism, highlighting the stark contrast between their candidacies," she added.
SBA List cited recent poll results that show 65% of Americans do support limits on late-term abortions for pregnancies up to the third trimester, such that 53% of which would likely vote for a Republican candidate who do advocate such limits. The same poll results also highlight that 77% of Americans oppose the use of taxpayer funds for abortion.
Youngkin, who is endorsed by SBA List for the gubernatorial post, explains in his campaign website that he is mostly guided by his "faith, values, and an unshakeable belief that Virginia should be the best" in running for the elections.
During the debate, McAuliffe also opposed parents' role in the education of their children especially when it comes to the curriculum. McAuliffe previously vetoed a bill that prevents parents from being notified should the school assign sexually explicit material to their children. The said bill was part of the discourse during the debate.
Youngkin then launched a new ad highlighting McAuliffe's opposition to parental rights on their children's education. He pointed out in the ad that McAuliffe made false claims on the extent of the legislation which only required notifying parents when it comes to sexually explicit instructional material. He revealed that McAuliffe's vetoing of the legislation " did the bidding of the big labor special interest unions that fund and support his political campaigns."
Meanwhile, McAuliffe similarly called out Youngkin for his "anti-choice" stand that he believes would only "drag" Virginia backwards.
"I'm running for governor to create JOBS, get everyone vaccinated, and build a world-class education system. We can't let anti-vaccine, anti-choice, far-right Glenn Youngkin drag us back, folks. GO VOTE!" McAuliffe said in Twitter after the debate.
