By Zack Stieber January 31, 2019
Planned Parenthood, one of the largest abortion providers in the United States, donated millions of dollars to the Virginia governor who made controversial abortion comments on Jan. 30.
The Virginia affiliate of Planned Parenthood threw its support behind Ralph Northam, a Democrat, in August 2017, dropping $3 million and providing close support, deploying canvassers to knock on 300,000 doors and sending mailers to another 400,000 homes.
Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia confirmed the donation and support to the Washington Post. While Republican gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie voiced opposition to abortion unless it was in the case of rape, incest, or when a mother’s life was at stake, Northam voiced support for abortion even in the second and third trimesters, despite the majority of Americans being against late abortions.
“Northam has been a key ally to abortion groups, making the issue a top priority during his time in Richmond,” the openly liberal Post stated.
Earlier in 2017, Planned Parenthood and other liberal groups launched a $2 million advertising campaign that had negative ads against Gillespie, claiming that he didn’t have the right stance on so-called women’s issues.
Gillespie responded to The Hill, saying: “It’s no surprise that Planned Parenthood would spend millions of dollars on Ralph Northam’s behalf, given his extreme positions like supporting abortions in the eighth or ninth month or just because the unborn child is a girl.”
Northam has acknowledged the support and told Ballotpedia he was proud to have the backing of the group. “Ralph is proud to have a 100 percent rating from Planned Parenthood,” his office told the website. “Ralph will continue to be a brick wall, stopping attacks on reproductive rights and access to health care.”
He also held multiple campaign events at Planned Parenthood locations in the state.