As parents of and advocates for those who suffer the debilitating, devastating effects of sickle-cell anemia, we were encouraged by the March 3 editorial ["Striking a cord"].
In the current national health care debate, with its drama and divisiveness, it was refreshing to see the cooperative efforts of those in our state legislature addressing the long-neglected needs for relief for the more than 70,000 minorities (predominantly African-Americans) nationwide who suffer from this disease.
We thank Del. Bob Marshall for introducing the bill to promote education for the healing potential of umbilical-cord blood. Read more
RICHMOND – Here in the former capital of the Old Confederacy, where resistance to the supremacy of federal law has a long and tortuous history, a new battle is being waged over a question that could undercut a key part of President Obama’s health care proposal: whether Washington can require that most Americans have health insurance.
The Virginia Legislature this week is poised to become the first state to pass legislation that says citizens cannot be required to have medical insurance.
Dozens of other states are considering similar measures, possibly setting the stage for one of the greatest tests of federal power over the states since the civil rights era.
If states are allowed to opt out of the mandate, the foundation of Obama’s effort would be undermined, turning the nascent revolt here into one with national implications.
The debate goes far beyond a disagreement with the approach to health care coverage taken in Massachusetts.
Rather, Virginia’s lawmakers are focused on constitutional questions and the power of states to run their own affairs.
“The administration is trying to shift from a government by social compact, agreement between elected officials and citizens, to a government where the leaders tell the subjects what to do,’’ said Virginia Delegate Bob Marshall, a Republican and chief sponsor of the measure. “That is not what the American Revolution was about.’’ Read more
Another attempt to mandate health insurance for autistic children was turned aside on the House of Delegates floor yesterday.
Del. Robert G. Marshall, R-Prince William, sought to amend a bill that would allow health maintenance organizations to offer to small businesses health insurance that does not mandate insurance coverage, but Speaker of the House William J. Howell, R-Stafford, ruled the amendment was not germane. Read more
Congress hasn’t even passed Obamacare yet, but if and when it does, Virginia’s General Assembly has already fired the first round in what could be a major legal showdown with Washington over the limits of federal power.
On Thursday, the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere became the first state to enact legislation that prohibits the federal government from forcing its citizens to purchase government-approved health insurance. The measure was sponsored by two Northern Virginians – State Senator Jill Vogel, R-Warrenton, and Del. Bob Marshall, R-Manassas – who also co-signed a Feb. 24 letter to President Obama protesting state legislators’ exclusion from his recent health care summit.
In an ominous sign for the president’s top domestic priority, five Democrats in the Virginia Senate joined 18 Republicans to vote for the Virginia Health Care Freedom Act in a state Obama won handily less than 18 months ago. They were, perhaps, influenced by the 2,400 grassroots activists who trekked to Richmond last month to oppose federally mandated insurance coverage. Read more
DEL. BOB MARSHALL, R-Manassas, is known for his often strident pro-life positions, but the witnesses he brought to a recent hearing of the Senate Committee on Education and Health left legislators more misty-eyed than mystified.
At issue was Mr. Marshall’s bill promoting education on the healing potential of umbilical-cord blood. To illustrate, he invited the Davis family from Texas to testify, notes Scott Leake of the Thomas Jefferson Institute.
Mr. Davis explained that his older son was born with sickle cell anemia, a devastating disease that may be ameliorated by cord blood. The Davises were unable to find a match–until they were blessed with a second son, whose umbilical-cord blood provided just the cells needed to help his big brother.
The testimony of the family–including the two little boys–moved even jaded lawmakers. “The only superfluous moment,” reports Mr. Leake, “was when Chairman [Edd] Houck, who by Senate procedure had to pose the question, asked if anyone wanted to speak in opposition to the bill. Since Beelzebub, Mephistopheles, and Satan were absent, no one spoke.”
The House of Delegates and Virginia Senate easily approved budget bills yesterday, but the hard part, trying to reach agreement on widely different bills, lies ahead.
The two bodies now have about two weeks to fashion a budget on which they can agree before the scheduled March 13 adjournment.
After almost four hours of partisan wrangling, the House passed its budget bill 61-38, with all the Republicans and two independents voting for it and all Democrats voting against.
The Senate plowed through its budget-balancing plan in about an hour, approving the package 30-10.
“I’ve seen some difficult budgets but never as tough as this one,” said Sen. Charles J. Colgan, D-Prince William, a 34-year veteran. Read more
Del. Robert G. Marshall, R-Prince William, embroiled in a firestorm over his recent remarks on abortion, never has been reluctant to speak his mind — or to challenge fellow Republicans.
“Bob Marshall marches to his own beat, and sometimes that rhythm is in time with us and sometimes it’s not,” said G. Paul Nardo, chief of staff to House Speaker William J. Howell, R-Stafford.
It was Marshall whose lawsuit led the Virginia Supreme Court to throw out, as unconstitutional, the state’s 2007 transportation-funding package, which then-Attorney General Bob McDonnell, now governor, had approved and Howell had hoped would pave the way to Republican gains in that fall’s House elections. Read more
MANASSAS, Va. – Delegate Bob Marshall will refer to scripture when explaining his anti-abortion beliefs. But the longtime Virginia lawmaker says he wants to set the record straight about a published report claiming he said God punishes some women who’ve had abortions by inflicting their subsequent children with disabilities.
“Wrong. Never happened. I don’t believe that,” Marshall told Fox 5 News in an exclusive interview in his hometown of Manassas Tuesday night. Read more
MANASSAS, VA – A February 22nd Capital News Service story claimed, “Western Prince William Del. Bob Marshall (R-13th) says disabled children are God’s punishment to women who have aborted their first pregnancy.”
I never made this statement. I believe that all children, no matter their background are a blessing from the Lord, not a punishment. Capital News Service never called me about these alleged comments.
No other reporter who attended the same February 18th press conference regarding Planned Parenthood funding made the same claim for the simple reason that I never made such a statement about disabled children.
A video of the press conference bears this out. (May be accessed in its entirety at the end of this article)
Furthermore, my personal and public life show a respect for unwanted or disabled children, including our adoption of three children, my bills to provide for health insurance for autistic children, and my bill this year requiring that women be informed of possible problems in future pregnancies from abortion.
I acknowledge that my extemporary remarks could have been better chosen to explain the medical research findings which show a high incidence of complications following induced abortions.
I understand how disability groups could react, but they are reacting in part to words I never said, never meant, and don’t believe. But I apologize to all for the misuse of my words especially to disabled Virginians or others offended.
My purpose was to show how authentic medical findings demonstrate that abortion has consequences beyond the death of the child being aborted. That is why I have proposed HB 334, which passed the House of Delegates 95-2, and which requires women undergoing abortion to be offered medical articles concerning possible complications in future pregnancies.
I take my oath of office seriously, and believe it is important to protect my constituents by ensuring full transparency about a procedure that may adversely impact their future reproductive health. That is why I strongly believe that Planned Parenthood, which performs one-fourth of abortions nationwide and opposes protecting women with this vital information, should not be funded by Virginia taxpayers.
Children, whether wanted or unwanted, intended or unintended, “normal” or disabled, are blessings from a loving God, and I will continue to fight on their behalf and on behalf of the courageous families who care for these wonderful children.
Fighting for you,
Delegate Bob Marshall
13th District Delegate
VIDEO:
FULL TRANSCRIPT:
Verbatim. The TRT is 2:05:
“Thank you very much for coming here today. We are dealing with an attempt to defund, frankly, a malevolent organization. And I say that because you know people by their fruits. In 1960, 65, the out of wed-lock birthrate for blacks was 25 percent. I think it was about 23 percent in 1960 – it was 5 percent for all races. Now it’s 40 percent. It’s 72% for blacks, 51% for Latinas. These are the fruits of planned parenthood. OK. Nothing else. More heartache. More guys who are completely irresponsible and think that women have one function and one function only for a few minutes. OK. But this just isn’t affecting our families, our inner cities, our communities and our state. This poison animates a world-wide population control program that the United States funds and which is unnecessarily making us enemies overseas. We are attacking traditional family structure in a way that no country should be doing. These aren’t my words. Go read a book by Denesh DeSouza. Ok. He’s looking at it from a cultural, historical perspective. This organization should be called Planned Barrenhood cause they have nothing to do with families, they have nothing to do with responsibility. One-fourth of all abortions are done by Planned Parenthood in the United States. Ok. The number of children who are born subsequent to a first abortion who have handicaps has increased dramatically. Why? Because when you abort the first-born of any, Nature takes its vengeance on the subsequent children. In the Old Testament, the first-born of every being, animal and man, was dedicated to the Lord. There’s a special punishment Christians would suggest, and with the knowledge they have from faith has been verified by a study by the Virginia Commonwealth University. First abortions of the first pregnancy are much more damaging to the woman than latter abortions. None of these are good for anybody but this organization has had its time. They have failed in their efforts and we need to defund them and not have them receive a dime of public money.”
