CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Governor Northam's comments regarding the proposed abortion bill went viral and now local groups are reacting.
Paige Coulter is the Director of Nursing at The Keim Center in Greenbrier.
The center saw about 1,800 patients last year, most of them facing unplanned pregnancies. The life-affirming center doesn’t perform abortions, and its disturbed by the Governor’s comments regarding what it calls infanticide.
"If there is a baby born alive I think that baby deserves a lot more than just being made comfortable as the governor would say, but kept alive and well. So, that’s my first concern, for that baby," said Coulter.
Michelle Wooten of Naral Pro-Choice Virginia said pro-life groups are blowing the governor’s comments out of proportion.
"Women who are seeking an abortion that far into pregnancy, there is something medically wrong. Most women are wanting to keep their pregnancy, but they have no choice," said Wooten.
Coulter said late-term abortions pose their own set of health risks and the mental effects are immeasurable.
"You get a rush of hormones after delivery that just puts you in mamma bear mode," explained Coulter. "You want to protect everything, and you bond with that child. To let your child sit there and not be resuscitated or not helped, I have concern for that mom."
Pro-choice Virginia said the bottom line is: the governor wants women to have the right to make the best decisions for themselves and it’s unfair to twist his words for political gain.
"It can be very frustrating from the perspective of someone who actually educates on it because it’s about the issue and it’s about people. It’s about Virginians, it's about real people’s lives and it’s about real people’s lives at stake,” said Wooten.