Governor Ralph Northam, (D) Virginia is under a firestorm this past week for controversial comments and issues raised about his philosophical beliefs. He defended a bill that would allow woman to have abortions up to the moment of birth.
Northam is quoted as saying, "“So in this particular example if a mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen," he said. "The infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother.”
This prompted outrage from pro-life advocates as it is tantamount to infanticide.
The outrage pales in comparison to the vitriol Northam faced when a 30 year old med school year book surfaced with two men; one in black face, the other dressed as KKK member. When members of both parties called for him to remove himself from government. McAullife, under whom Northam served as lieutenant governor tweeted about his heart breaking experience, but noted that Northam must step down.
Sen. Kamala Harris and presidential candidate for Democratic party,called for Northam to step aside so the public could “heal and move forward” from the “stain of racism.” And presidential Candidate Cory Booker weighed in, "said the images “arouse centuries of anger, anguish, and racist violence and they’ve eroded all confidence in Gov. Northam’s ability to lead.” A third presidential candidate for the Democratic party Elisabeth Warren made the statement, “hatred and discrimination have no place in our country and must not be tolerated, especially from our leaders – Republican or Democrat.”
Northam issued a statement with respect to the discovery of the yearbook:
Earlier today, a website published a photograph of me from my 1984 medical school yearbook in a costume that is clearly racist and offensive. I am deeply sorry for the decision I made to appear as I did in this photo and for the hurt that decision caused then and now. This behavior is not in keeping with who I am today and the values I have fought for throughout my career in the military, in medicine, and in public service. But I want to be clear, I understand how this decision shakes Virginians’ faith in that commitment. I recognize that it will take time and serious effort to heal the damage this conduct has caused. I am ready to do that important work. The first step is to offer my sincerest apology and to state my absolute commitment to living up to the expectations Virginians set for me when they elected me to be their Governor.
The democratic party was apoplectic in their quick response to the images that emerged from Northam's yearbook, yet they remained silent on his philosophy with respect to abortion up to the 40 week.
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