Anti-Abortion Extremist Yesli Vega “Bristles” When Questioned About Her Rape Comments

Yesli Vega’s extreme positions on abortion – including doubting the likelihood of pregnancy after rape and a nationwide ban on abortion with no exceptions – could cost her the election in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, as highlighted by new reporting from HuffPost.

While Spanberger talked about her bipartisan credentials and record of results on the campaign trail, Vega was getting defensive about her anti-abortion views. According to HuffPost, Vega “bristled when asked about appearing to agree with an inaccurate theory that pregnancy is less likely after rape. ‘Those comments were not the comments that I ever stated,’ she told reporters, even though audio of her remarks was made public.”

Virginia women won’t stand for Vega’s agenda to outlaw abortion, and her dangerous, false conspiracies will haunt her from now until November. Read more:

HuffPost: Abortion Backlash Could Cost Republicans Crucial Virginia House Seat
By Liz Skalka
September 26, 2022 

• “Former CIA officer Abigail Spanberger was first elected to Congress in 2018, flipping a Republican seat in what was later dubbed the ‘Year of the Woman’ for the record number of women elected to federal and statewide offices.”
• “Four years later, Spanberger, a moderate Democrat from an exurban Virginia district, is running for reelection to her swing seat amid a different sort of woman-focused movement — one spurred by backlash to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision striking down abortion rights.”
• “Her opponent, Prince William County Supervisor Yesli Vega, is a foil tailor-made for this moment, a staunchly anti-abortion Republican who appeared to downplay the possibility of pregnancy after rape in surreptitiously recorded comments from June.”
• “Spanberger has leaned into abortion rights as a galvanizing issue for Democrats and swing voters, making her opening argument in a commercial that called Vega “too extreme for Virginia” for supporting a total abortion ban without exceptions for rape, incest or the life of the mother.”
• “Vega bristled when asked about appearing to agree with an inaccurate theory that pregnancy is less likely after rape. ‘Those comments were not the comments that I ever stated,’ she told reporters, even though audio of her remarks was made public.”
• “Spanberger epitomized the female candidate who ran and won in 2018 — a moderate who was photographed giving her election night victory speech with her 4-year-old daughter playing at her feet. The photos came to illustrate the growing ranks of women and mothers penetrating the male-dominated halls of Congress.”
• “‘What I’m doing is I’m telling people who I am,’ said Spanberger, a wonkish member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee who worked on counterterrorism cases as a CIA officer. ‘I’m a Democrat. I’m a pragmatist. I’m focused on getting things done. I’m a coalition builder. I’m proud to be a bipartisan member of Congress.’”