Hypocrisy, thy name is Bill Bolling

Tarina Keene is executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia.

On Wednesday, anti-choice Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling cast the decisive vote in the Virginia Senate to defund state family-planning clinics that provide low-income women with access to basic health care, such as contraception and screenings for breast and cervical cancer.

Bolling’s vote — which broke a 20-20 tie in the Senate — was outrageous enough, but this politician takes hypocrisy to a whole new level.

Check out his web site and you will find (I am not kidding here) Bolling promoting public-service announcements in which he encourages women in Virginia to get screenings for cervical cancer:

Busy women in today’s modern world must make the connection between HPV, Pap testing and avoidance of a nearly preventable cancer. Urge the women in your life to get a Pap test. Pass on the information to friends.

Mr. Bolling, you just voted for a bill that will deny cervical-cancer screenings to thousands of women in Virginia.

You can bet that we are going to tell everyone we know about this hypocrisy. At a time when so many Virginians cannot afford health care, you cut funding for the very services you encouraged women to get – services that are available at Planned Parenthood and other family-planning clinics.

We have your number—literally. 804-786-2078. Our public-service announcement begins with a call to your office to express our displeasure with your vote against women’s health.