

Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring, right, stands with Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards. Also in the photo are Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, left, and Gov. Terry McAuliffe.
One week before he faces voters in the election, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring is under fire for blatantly siding with the abortion industry – allowing abortionists to avoid reporting many statutory rapes of young girls.
Since being elected four years ago, Herring has been a reliable advocate for the abortion industry. But in 2014, Virginia’s top law enforcement officer shocked veteran observers by issuing an opinion that set aside Virginia’s statutory rape and mandatory reporting laws when it came to abortion clinics.
That opinion allowed Virginia abortion centers to avoid reporting many likely statutory rapes of 13- and 14-year-old girls. Even worse, the abortion center that precipitated the opinion is located in an area that has major problems with sex trafficking – meaning that, in many cases, sexual predators are the ultimate beneficiary of Herring’s pro-abortion ruling.
But pro-family groups are making sure that Herring doesn’t get a free pass as he prepares to face the voters in his first re-election bid. Family Policy Alliance is assisting our Virginia ally, The Family Foundation Action, as they educate tens of thousands of Virginia voters with a series of mailings and other communications.
Many of these pro-life voters are inconsistent when it comes to voting in non-presidential elections, so this voter education effort could make a significant impact in pro-life voter turnout. The Nov. 7 race is expected to be close. In 2013, Herring won by just 907 votes out of more than 2.2 million votes cast.