Virginia Republican proposes bill to designate Roe v. Wade anniversary as ‘Day of Tears’

Virginia Republican Bill Cline introduced a bill into the the state House of Delegates to designate the anniversary of Roe v. Wade as the “Day of Tears,” asking Virginians to “mourn the innocents who have lost their lives to abortion" on an annual basis.

The bill, prefiled by Cline on Monday, would encourage Virginians to lower the flag to half-staff on January 22, 2017, and every subsequent year. The text reads:

“Whereas on January 22, 1973, the majority of the members of the Supreme Court ruled that abortion was a right secured by the Constitution; and whereas since that fateful day, over 58 million unborn children have perished; now, therefore, be it resolved that January 22 shall be called the Day of Tears in Virginia and that the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia are encouraged to lower their flags to half-staff to mourn the innocents who have lost their lives to abortion."

Cline, who’s currently serving his eighth term in the House of Delegates, is a staunch pro-life advocate; he’s sponsored legislation to ban embryonic stem-cell research and supported efforts to defund Planned Parenthood in the state. He also supported Donald Trump’s general election efforts, despite the business mogul’s pro-life past. During the campaign, the president-elect vowed to appoint pro-life Supreme Court justices and famously suggested women seeking abortions should be punished. Despite his pro-choice past.

Since Trump’s election, a furry of restrictive ant-abortion measures have been proposed as pro-lifers say they’re “emboldened” but the president-elect’s pro-life stance. In Ohio, Republicans are trying to push through the most restrictive abortion legislation in the country, outlawing abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat—even in cases of rape or incest. It’s unclear whether Ohio Gov. John Katich will veto the bill.

While Virginia’s “Day of Tears” bill could conceivably pass the Republican-controlled General Assembly, BlueVirginia notes pro-choice Gov. Terry McAuliffe will likely veto the legislation.