Updated 6:16 p.m.
Republicans may very well have the votes they need in the Virginia Senate to pass the Personhood Bill, and it's coming from an unlikely source.
We spoke to Tazwell County Democrat Phil Puckett by phone and he tells me he supports the bill.
"Life is a sacred thing as far as I'm concerned. It goes back to my biblical views on the sanctity of life. Whether the baby has been born or not, it's still a living human being,” said Puckett.
By redefining life to the moment of conception, the bill would allow prosecutors to bring additional charges on suspects for the death of an unborn child.
Puckett is a long time pro-life Democrat, but this time, he could be the deciding vote.
"Sometimes it's difficult to take a stand and try to do what I think is the right thing, but that's basically who I am. The backlash quite frankly, I don't consider that an issue,” said Puckett.
Senate democrats certainly have an uphill battle. To block it, they have to do one of two things:
1) They have to get it killed in committee, where the Health committee and the Courts committees are controlled by Republicans.
2) OR on the Senate floor, they've got to convince two Republicans to vote it down.
"If they vote on a straight party line vote, they could get this thing out of the Senate. It would become law and it's unconstitutional,” said Roanoke Senator John Edwards.
As a senior Democrat in the Senate, Edwards says he hopes to be able to find a few moderate Republicans to help block it, and keep the Personhood Bill from becoming law.
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The “Personhood Bill” passed the House of Delegates by a wide margin Tuesday and now it has a good chance of passing the State Senate.
The bill specifically defines life to the moment of conception. This would allow prosecutors to bring additional charges against suspects for the death of an unborn child.
Abortion issues are largely voted down party lines and with Republicans controlling the Senate with the 20-20 split and Lt. Governor Bill Bolling breaking the tie. Now a Democrat says he supports the bill as well, meaning it would likely pass on the Senate floor.
Russell County Democrat Phil Puckett (D-38th) tells WSLS’s Jarett Henshaw that he will vote for the Personhood Bill for religious reasons. He says he believes life begins at conception, and he’s not concerned about any possible backlash within the caucus over those beliefs.
Roanoke Democratic Senator John Edwards says the bill is unconstitutional and very extreme. He says he hopes Dems are able to block it.
Democrats would have to convince two Republican Senators to vote against the bill on the Senate floor. First the Personhood Bill will have to make it through either the Education and Health Committee or the Courts and Justice Committee.
The best chances Democrats have of stopping the bill, would be to block it in committee. Both the Health and Courts committees are control 8-7 by Republicans.
We’ll have more of Senator Phil Puckett’s and John Edwards comments tonight on WSLS at 6.
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