NRSC Calls On Manchin To Explain Past Comments To West Virginians For Life

Another day, another massive flip-flop for Joe Manchin. Despite campaigning as a pro-life candidate last fall, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) stood with his liberal Democrat leaders this evening and voted against cutting off federal funding to the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) which the National Right To Life Committee (NRLC) has called “the nation’s largest abortion provider.” 

“It was bad enough when Joe Manchin went back on his word to West Virginians and voted in support of ObamaCare, but now he’s standing side-by-side with Planned Parenthood and against the pro-life community in West Virginia,” National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Chris Bond said today. “Just as Republicans predicted last year, once Joe Manchin got to Washington he is standing with Barack Obama, Harry Reid, and now Planned Parenthood – but not with West Virginia.”

Manchin’s vote this evening represents yet another 180-degree turn-around on an issue important to West Virginians. As LifeSiteNews.com reported in October. 

· “On a candidate survey for West Virginians for Life, an NRLC affiliate, Manchin said he would vote for full repeal of the bill if there was no way pro-abortion provisions could be entirely removed from the health care law. West Virginians For Life told LifeSiteNews.com that NRLC had spoken to Manchin about their issues with the Senate version after he made his comments at the NGA panel, and the governor indicated that he had not quite understood the extent of the problems in the 2,409-page Affordable Care Act, when he made his remarks.

“Senator Manchin needs to step forward and explain these reported remarks to West Virginians for Life, who believed in endorsing him that Joe Manchin stood with them and against Planned Parenthood,” Bond concluded.

In a recent letter to Congress, the National Right To Life Committee (NRLC) noted that this key vote would be included in its legislative scorecard and wrote “PPFA is the nation’s largest abortion provider, reporting 324,008 abortions in 2008. . . . According to press reports, PPFA has recently mandated that all of its regional affiliates must provide abortions by the end of 2013. Recent media reports regarding abuses associated with PPFA-affiliated clinics in multiple states provide additional justifications for the amendment.”

And one writer for the Daily Caller succinctly laid out the facts of this vote, writing — [u]nlike Manchin’s pro-Obamacare vote, a vote not to defund Planned Parenthood cannot be explained away with some kind of “no other good options so I had to do this” talking point. The Senate’s soon-to-be scheduled vote is strictly about preventing Planned Parenthood from receiving federal funds, not eliminating all federally sponsored family planning programs.

Additional Background…..

In The Weeks Before Being Elected To The Senate, Manchin Said “I’m Pro-Life And We’re Just A Different Type Of Democrat Here In West Virginia.” GOV. JOE MANCHIN: “The health care reform is far overreaching in areas I don’t agree with, the 1099 part of that, the mandates. Also, the firewall is not strong enough for abortions. I’m pro-life and we’re just a different type of Democrat here in West Virginia.” (Fox News, “Fox News Sunday,” 10/24/10)

Manchin Was Endorsed By “West Virginians For Life” In His Governor Bids And Says He Has “Always Been A Supporter Of Right To Life . . . I Was Raised That Way.” “Manchin says his record opposing abortion speaks for itself. Consistently endorsed by West Virginians for Life, Manchin supported the anti-abortion group’s agenda while a state legislator. Upon taking office in 2005, he signed the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, which the group pushed in 2004 but was vetoed by his Democratic predecessor. ‘I’ve always been a supporter of right to life,’ Manchin said. ‘I was raised that way.’” (Lawrence Messina, “Uptick In W. VA. Abortions Stirs Political Debate,” The Associated Press, 6/22/08)