Listen as Larry spoke with Virginia Delegate Mark Levine regarding the Gubernatorial Race in Virginia, being pro-life in the Democratic party and more.
During the interview, O’Connor and Levine discussed how abortion is viewed within the Democratic Party:
O’Connor: But I just want to be clear here on this Delegate Levine, are you telling me that all of those very good faith based voters out there, Virginians, who believe in the sanctity of life and are against abortion, all those really good church going Virginians who regularly go to church, pray for the unborn, give money to pro-life causes …Are you telling me with all of the charitable contributions they give to their churches, that they don’t care about a baby when it’s born? Is that what you’re saying? Because that’s what it sounded like you were saying.
Levine: They are electing representatives who want to do something that no other industrialized country on earth does – and frankly the only other one country on the planet [inaudible] and that is force a woman to go back to work the day after she gives birth. And I would think that all those good church going people wouldn’t want that. But their representatives in the Virginia House of Delegates – these Republicans are voting for that. So if they care, at least as much, about children as they do about fetuses, they need to either throw them out in the primary or throw them out in November. Because we are looking out for children and unfortunately the Republican Party is not.
O’Connor: Aren’t they voting actually to allow businesses the choice whether they want to give family leave or not and then let the market decide so that employees, and by the way consumers, can choose to support a business that gives paid family leave? They’re not actually voting to, as you put it, ‘force a woman to go back’. Has there been a piece of legislation in Virginia that forces a woman and they are compelled to go back to work the day after they have a baby? I’ve missed that. Which bill was that?
Levine: I find it really interesting that you’re pro-choice about whether a business should force or not force, and you’re right many business do provide maternity leave.
O’Connor: Well you just said they forced people to go back to work.
Levine: Well economically they are. If you’re working at Walmart and you’re not getting, you know, one $7 – $8 an hour and you’ve just had a baby, you can’t survive. You’ve got to buy food for that child, you’ve got to take care of that child in some way. And so yes, people are economically forced to do all kinds of things. I wish Republicans would understand that. That there are people who are really suffering in this country that have to make economic choices and many of them decide to have an abortion precisely because Republicans don’t support family proposals that allow people to raise children economically. If we could work together, Republicans and Democrats, to help kids after they’re born, then I think fewer women would choose to have an abortion. It would be win-win for everybody. And that’s the kind of Republicans I want to work with.
In case you missed it, O’Connor and Levine faced off on Fox News about President Trump’s wall. View the video here.
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