Ralph Northam

Ralph Shearer Northam (born September 13, 1959) is an American politician and physician serving as the 73rd Governor of Virginia since January 13, 2018.

Ralph Northam

Quotes

• I wasn't there, Julie, and I certain can't speak for Delegate Tran, but I would tell you, one, the first thing I would say is this is why decisions such as this should be made by providers, physicians, and the mothers and the fathers that are involved. When we talk about third-trimester abortions, these are done with the consent of obviously the mother, with the consent of the physicians, more than one physician, by the way. And it's done in cases where there may be severe deformities, there may be a fetus that's non-viable. So in this particular example, if a mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen. The infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that's what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother. So I think this was really blown out of proportion. But again, we want the government not to be involved in these kinds of decisions. We want the decisions to be made by the mothers and the providers and this is why, Julie, that legislators, most of whom are men by the way, shouldn't be telling a woman what she should and shouldn't be doing with her body. His spokesman later released a statement saying "No woman seeks a third trimester abortion except in the case of tragic or difficult circumstances, such as a nonviable pregnancy or in the event of severe fetal abnormalities, and the governor’s comments were limited to the actions physicians would take in the event that a woman in those circumstances went into labor.
  • During the interview with WTOP-FM on January 30, 2019. NBC4 reporter Julie Carey asked Northam to respond to comments made by Deligate Kathy Tran at a hearing about the proposed bill lessen restrictions on late term abortions. Carey asked, "[Tran] was pressed by a Republican delegate about whether her bill would permit an abortion even as a woman is essentially dilating ready to give birth and she answered that it would permit an abortion at that stage of labor. Do you support her measure and explain her answer."

• My wife says, "inappropriate circumstances."
  • During a press conference about a photo on his page in his medical school yearbook which shows a person in blackface next to someone dressed as a KKK clansman. When asked if could still do the moonwalk, Northam looked around the stage as if he were about to demonstrate the dance when he was interrupted by his wife. February 3, 2019.