but did express hope in working with him since he was willing to listen, as opposed to the virulent anti-choice Republican candidate.
So no, he has not "always been on the side of a woman's right to choose."
Yes, he was better than complete anti-choice candidates. That's why his record was "mixed" rather than solidly one way or another.
Yes, his record has improved once he left the Governor's office and campaigned for and became a Senator.
The mixed record is why his seeming change in stance on Hyde is troubling.
http://www.naralva.org/media/press/20050817.shtml
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEAugust 17, 2005
Governor
There is no question that Republican Jerry Kilgore is an extremely anti-choice candidate who would sign a bill eliminating the right to choose in Virginia, and who might even sign legislation curtailing access to contraception for Virginians. Tim Kaine, the Democrat, has said he would not sign such legislation, but he embraces many of the restrictions on a woman's right to choose that are opposed by NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia. We cannot therefore offer any endorsement in this year's race for governor. Having said that, Tim Kaine has listened closely to our concerns during his campaign, while Kilgore's office did not even respond to requests for meetings on the issue. Between these two men, we see more hope for the women of Virginia in Kaine's candidacy and we are eager and willing to work with him on these important issues should he be elected.
http://www.naralva.org/media/press/20090330.shtml
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMarch 30, 2009
Money generated by "Choose Life" license plates will fund anti-choice "fake clinics"
ALEXANDRIA, VA–Today NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia expressed its deep disappointment in Governor Kaine's decision to sign SB817, a bill that authorizes the creation of Choose Life license plates and creates a state-approved funding stream for crisis pregnancy centers.
"We are disappointed that Governor Kaine refused to recognize that when faced with an unintended pregnancy, women need information, not ideology," said Tarina Keene, Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia. "In their zeal to prevent women from accessing abortion services, crisis pregnancy centers frequently mislead women about their options and completely disregard the neutrality that is a commonly accepted tenet of counseling. Organizations like these should not benefit from a state-approved funding stream."
Keene continued, "Even with a pro-choice president in the White House, the battle to protect reproductive rights and health rages on at the state level. This reiterates what we already knew–elections matter, and we must remain vigilant and ensure that pro-choice candidates are elected to the Virginia House of Delegates and executive branch this November."
NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia welcomes the help of organizations that provide assistance to women who have decided to carry an unplanned pregnancy to term. The problem with the vast majority of crisis pregnancy centers is that they deliberately conceal their true agenda from women who seek their services and then often provide biased and inaccurate information about the options available to them. Here is a summary of well-documented crisis pregnancy center tactics:
Most "crisis pregnancy centers" are not licensed medical facilities and do not offer comprehensive, accurate information about the range of options available to women facing unintended pregnancies.
They are often set up as non-profit organizations and are staffed primarily by volunteers who have no medical training and routinely offer medically inaccurate information to women.
Some CPCs intentionally choose their name to mislead women into believing that they offer a wide range of services, including family planning and abortion services; A Women's Choice, a CPC in Falls Church, Virginia, is one example.
In an effort to scare women away from considering abortion, some CPCs provide inaccurate information about the "consequences" of abortion - including false claims that abortion causes breast cancer, sterility, and psychological damage.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/03/31/kaine-blocks-funding-for-embryonic-stem-cell-research/comment-page-4/
March 31st, 2009
04:23 PM ET
WASHINGTON (CNN) - Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, has signed a bill into law banning the use of some state funds for embryonic stem cell research.
The move puts the DNC chairman at odds with President Obama, who signed an executive order earlier this month reversing the Bush administration's ban on federal funding for research on embryonic stem cells.
Kaine approved the Virginia bill on Monday, according to the governor's office, the same day he enacted legislation that would permit "Choose Life" license plates in the commonwealth - an act that angered state and national abortion rights advocates.
Reaction from NARAL and VA Planned Parenthood in 2009, when he signed crisis pregnancy legislation after being lobbied not to do so.
http://www.politico.com/story/2009/03/dnc-chair-infuriates-abortion-backers-020686
The revenue from the specialty plates would go to crisis-pregnancy centers, which many abortion-rights backers believe proslyetize against abortion and encourage women to keep unwanted children.
“It is surprising that Governor Kaine would do this, but it’s all the more surprising that he would do it as chair of the DNC,” said Paulette McElwain, the president of the Virginia League for Planned Parenthood.
McElwain exchanged numerous calls with the governor’s office over the license plates and organized a grass roots effort that logged more than 2,000 calls to the governor’s staff.
“We provided him with abundant information,” she said. “We’re terribly disappointed that he decided to sign it.”
In Washington, NARAL/Pro-Choice America channeled more than 17,000 emails and 200 calls to the DNC urging Kaine to veto the bill.
“It is unfortunate that, even after receiving thousands of messages from Virginians and pro-choice activists across the country, Gov. Kaine has opted to sign a bill that advances a divisive political ideology at the expense of women’s health,” NARAL/Pro-Choice America president Nancy Keenan said in a statement.
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