Virginia House of Delegates Passes “Personhood” Bill

Virginia State Legislature Building

Just last week I posted a piece about my home state of Virginia and it’s stand on a number of the most significant issues in our nation’s history since slavery.  Richmond is changing. When I go home to Virginia to visit family I often feel like the state is becoming more diverse, tolerant, liberal and open.  Richmond, the capital city, now has some great bars and clubs, ethnic restaurants, a performing arts scene.  But seated there is a state legislature that does things like those described in this report.

On a 66-32 vote, the state’s House of Delegates has passed legislation to define life as beginning at conception.

After a passionate debate, the House also voted 63-36 to pass legislation to require women to undergo ultrasounds before abortion.

Why, Virginia, why?

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Pensylvania Representative Kills Domestic Violence Resolution Because it Supports Homosexual Agenda

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that last week the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives was set to turn out a seemingly uncontroversial resolution declaring October Domestic Violence Month because to do so would support a homosexual agenda.

The state House of Representatives churns out uncontroversial resolutions every week to commemorate the dead, honor people’s achievements, raise awareness of health issues, and recognize things important to Pennsylvania, such as pretzels.

So it took many people by surprise when a resolution designating October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month was derailed Wednesday by Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R., Butler), who claimed it “had a homosexual agenda.”

The Western Pennsylvania legislator said he detected that agenda in this phrase: “one in six women and one in 33 men have experienced an attempted or completed rape.”

Metcalf insisted that the resolution not go forward unless the gender of perpetrators and victims was specified.

I don’t know which to be angry about first, the homophobia or the disdain for victims of domestic violence Metcalf exhibits. The vast majority of cases do involve violence by men directed at women, but not all. Women can be abusers too and we should be careful to to stigmatize the man who might be the victim of violence from his wife, or partner of whatever gender. There are many kinds of domestic violence, involving married couples and couples simply in a relationship, involving parents or other adults and children, and even involving children and other children. Or does Metcalfe also see abuse as a “privilege” which, like marriage, is to be reserved for heterosexuals?

But Metcalfe has a history of revealing his prejudice by blocking resolutions that have little real impact, almost as if he wants to go our of his way to demonstrate his intolerance and rigidity. In 2008 he blocked a resolution recognizing the 60th annual convention in Harrisburg, PA of the U.S. chapter of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, a community with the mantra, “Love for All, Hatred for None,” because “the Muslims do not recognize Jesus Christ as God.” That’s pretty shocking. By that logic, the US should never honor anyone or anything Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Atheist, etc.
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A Jewish lawmaker, Democratic Rep. Babette Josephs of Philadelphia, also protested and said she would seek to have Metcalfe’s remarks stricken from the official record.

She said Metcalfe’s position places a religious test on House resolutions, which generally clear the chamber quickly and unanimously.

“I wonder what I would not also qualify for — being on the floor myself?” she said later. “Having the right to vote? Having the right to practice my religion? That’s what I was responding to. And we have other people who are not Jewish and not Christian on the floor — some elected, some not.”

Mr. Metcalf needs to meet Mr Ali from the state legislature in Maryland.

Frustration with this kind of record has led to the establishment of the Dump Daryl Metcalfe web site.

These informational web sites are part of a campaign to educate the voters and expose Pennsylvania state representative Daryl Metcalfe’s fear mongering and the other tactics he and his campaign use against citizens of the 12th District of Pennsylvania. All of the items listed under public outrage are previously published “letters to the editor” and/or articles from the public.

Politics, recently, has gotten increasingly mean and, it is sad to say, the meanness most often comes from the Christian right. It’s not very Christ like, is it.