Day 9 - January 28, 2013 - Senator Harry Blevins
Friends, thank you for hanging in there with me and (I hope!) sending e-mails to these Senators who have been entrusted with the high duty of lawmaking. I believe that we are planting seeds that will, at some point, bear fruit. Just a few more days to go...
If you read Day 7, you will recall that the Senate Education and Health Committee, which hears all abortion-related bills in the Senate, is comprised of 8 Republicans and 7 Democrats. The 7 Democrats reliably vote against any measure that would provide greater protection for pre-born human life. 7 of the Republicans consistently vote for these measures, leaving one Republican "swing vote" in the middle. Meet Senator Blevins.
In the meetings I have had with Senator Blevins, he has always insisted that he will not decide (or at least not announce) his position on pro-life legislation before the Committee hearing. I can respect this decision, and I have spent my time with him simply offering to answer any questions he might have about House Bill 1 (the quintessential life-at-conception bill). When HB1 was heard in Committee last year, many, many questions were raised, and I believe each one was answered definitively by either Delegate Bob Marshall (the bill's patron) or myself. This, I believe, is why Senator Blevins voted for the measure, and it was reported to the floor.
Mere hours later, when Republican leaders teamed up with Democrats to spring a rarely-used procedural maneuver to send the bill right back to the Committee for "further study," Senator Blevins voted with the leadership to send back the bill he had just voted to report! I don't know what his reasons were, and he has since refused my requests for a meeting.
Let's reach out to Senator Blevins today.
Dear Senator Blevins,
I understand that you have sent mixed signals about your support for a bill that would recognize, for purposes of Virginia law, that human life begins at conception. As a Virginian who believes that it is imperative for our laws to recognize this basic scientific fact, I implore you to take a strong, consistent stand on this matter. While many elected officials choose daily to bow to pressures of party leaders or the political climate on a host of issues, this is one issue that is too fundamental to admit compromise. I am praying for you today--that you would have great courage to pursue principle over politics.
Sincerely,
[your name]
Senator Blevins' e-mail address: district14@senate.virginia.gov
Please pray for Senator Blevins, that he would take a stand against those who would use him as a pawn for their own political purposes.
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