Burbidge called the remarks a "staggering admission" about the proposed fate of children, one that "reflects a new level of deep-rooted animus against the inherent goodness of every child."
The combination of Northam's comments and the bill's provisions are a sign of "how far abortion advocates are willing to go in taking the life of a precious child," said Burbidge.
In his own statement, Bishop Knestout called the proposals "horrific," "outrageous," and "vicious," and said that there is "no place in a civil society for this sort of thought and action."
The Richmond bishop called statements made by Northam and Tran "equally disheartening and reprehensible."
"We should not be legislating in favor of abortion, let alone third trimester abortions, at all," said Knestout, adding that "all our actions and decisions should be life-giving."
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After the bill failed to make it out of legislative committee and was tabled by a 5-3 vote on Wednesday, one of the bill's co-sponsors, Del. Dawn Adams (D-Richmond) said that she would not have supported the bill had she understood its provisions better.
Adams said in a letter to her constituents that she believed the bill merely repealed pro-life reforms introduced in 2012, and was surprised that "it sought to do much more."
Adams apologized for failing to "exercise due diligence" before agreeing to co-sponsor the bill