Yesli Vega Will Always Take the Extreme Position, No Questions Asked

From Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA07)’s reelection campaign:

Yesli Vega Will Always Take the Extreme Position, No Questions Asked

After NBC4 Reports Vega Supports the “Life at Conception Act,” Vega Tells the Washington Post She “Never Read” the Bill Before Backing It

FREDERICKSBURG, VA – Yesli Vega, who has been described by local news outlets as “a far-right candidate who is notoriously anti-abortion,” will always take the most extreme position on abortion – no questions asked.

After NBC4 Washington recently reported that Yesli Vega said she would support and cosponsor the Life at Conception Act –  a bill introduced in May 2021 that would outlaw all abortions with no exceptions – Vega told the Washington Post on Wednesday that she “never read” the bill.

[Vega] demurred on elaborating on her positions on specific abortion policies. Asked whether she would support […] the Life at Conception Act, extending equal protection to fetuses, Vega said she was not familiar with the bill[.] She noted too many members of Congress make the mistake of talking about supporting legislation without doing their homework or due diligence.

“I’ve never read them, I don’t know what all of them say, so I’m not going to give you a response because I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said. “I’m going to have to look at these once I get there. I’ve been very direct in terms of where I stand on this issue. I believe in the sanctity of life, and that most Americans believe in the sanctity of life.”

Vega’s lackluster response to questioning from the Post comes just weeks after it was reported that Vega promised to back a constitutional amendment banning abortion and to support a bill that enacts a nationwide ban on abortion with no exceptions, if elected.

(Screengrab from NBC4 Washington, September 14, 2022)

(Screengrab from NBC4 Washington, September 14, 2022)

“Ms. Vega is playing political games with Virginia voters, who know she would enthusiastically vote to outlaw abortion – with no exceptions – if elected to serve in Congress. In endorsement questionnaires, she has committed to supporting a bill to ban abortion, and she has committed to supporting an amendmentto the U.S. Constitution banning abortion,” said Justin Chermol, Press Secretary, Abigail Spanberger for Congress. “Ms. Vega’s recent admission that she didn’t even read the Life at Conception Act before promising to vote for it leads to immediate questions about her judgment. She would rather earn the endorsement of an anti-abortion group to win a Republican primary than take into consideration the health and safety ramifications that legislation would create for Virginia women and their families.”

BACKGROUND

Vega applauded the Supreme Court’s draft opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade as an “amazing victory,” doubted the likelihood that women who are raped can become pregnant, and made clear in endorsement questionnaires that she supports a nationwide ban on abortion – even in cases where the life of the mother is at risk.

Most recently, it was reported that Vega would vote for a constitutional amendment to outlaw abortion nationally and cosposor the Life at Conception Act – a bill that declares a fetus human at the moment of conception.

Spanberger is the only pro-choice, pro-marriage equality, and pro-privacy candidate in the race for Virginia’s Seventh Congressional District.

Spanberger has been a vocal advocate for safeguarding the rights of all Virginians. Spanberger has voted with a majority in the U.S. House to protect the rights to contraception, same-sex marriage, interstate travel for reproductive care, and twice to codify Roe v. Wade.