Kristin A. Farry

For most of my adult life, I supported abortion only in cases of rape, incest, any circumstance endangering the mother's life, and any case where the fetus is not likely to survive the pregnancy. For context, I barely escaped a violent rape attempt--and was accused by my father of making up the crime story. Both my mother and godmother barely survived pregnancy complications pre-Roe v. Wade when women had no choice but to carry non-viable fetuses until they miscarried or were still-born. Both these women supported the Roe decision and proved that a woman can do that and be a strong Christian. Committed to following Jesus, and not finding any specific words from Jesus on this subject, I look to Judaism for guidance on what Jesus would have practiced as a Rabbi. Judaism teaches that the mother's life must take precedence over that of the unborn baby, and the baby is only "born" when she/he is halfway out of the birth canal. Rabbis attend difficult births and determine the moment when the value of the baby's life is equal to that of the mother's life. Some Christians have somehow concluded that Jesus would have abandoned his Judaic roots on this. Recent experience with very restrictive laws in other states shows that the government's involvement in defining these conditions have failed to protect women's lives. A number of anti-abortion activists have stated that their goal is to value the fetus' life equally with the mother's from the moment of conception, and want to move the law toward zero exceptions. Some of these same activists support laws that consider a homeowner shooting someone who is stealing a television from their home "self defense" and not murder, but would deny a woman the option of "self defense" when a fetus is killing her. It's become clear to me that the government should stay out of the doctor's office and the pastor's office. I have moved from a "Pro-Life" to considering the current Virginia law that leaves the decision to the woman for during most of the pregnancy as necessary to protect women's lives. We must focus on eliminating the situations that compel women to seek abortions for reasons other than the extraordinary situations I list above. When we have eliminated poverty, lack of pre-natal medical care, and abuse, we can reconsider changes to current Virginia law.

Neutral

Planned Parenthood should be eligible for funding for pre-natal and women's health services that are NOT related to abortion.

Agree

I have been through four cancer occurrences over 18 years. I am considered "cured" of all. While I have chosen medical treatments to sustain my life in every case, I have accompanied dear friends on this journey to the point where they decided that treatments were no longer worth the pain and loss of quality of life. I think that if they had had the choice to end their suffering sooner, they might have. I would want this choice.

I would prefer a simpler tax code: many fewer deductions and lower rates, especially for those of low income. I would increase tax enforcement at the top end of the income spectrum. Right now, people whose income is wages are automatically audited with computer programs every year. People who have very complex income tax returns are seldom audited.

Speaking as a military veteran and someone whose job was reducing fraud, waste, and abuse in the Defense Department, I would not increase defense spending at this time. I would consider cutting some defense weapons and improve auditing of the DoD.

Disagree

I would invest more heavily in primary and secondary education. I would bring back career technical education at the high school level and require that all students graduate from high school with a marketable skill. This includes the students heading for college--they can then work their way through college without debt.

Disagree

We must maintain protections for basic civil rights while allowing individuals this flexibility. For example, a person should not be denied a mortgage or education based on their race or religion or sexual orientation.

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B) Healthcare insurance funded by the government should be available for all who want it, along with private healthcare options. The sad reality is that most rural Americans work in jobs without employer-provided health insurance. The current move to limit Medicaid eligibility and reduce help for purchasing health insurance (about a 21% cut in Virginia) may bankrupt rural healthcare organizations. If rural clinics/hospitals close, Medicare/Medicaid recipients will have no healthcare either.

Highly contagious diseases and situations where people are working in close quarters, especially with vulnerable populations (US Navy ships, hospitals, nursing homes, for examples)--and schools. Medical exceptions okay.

We must fight ALL kinds of terrorism, not just Islamic terrorism. We must keep the anti-terrorism components of organizations like the CIA, FBI, and State Department strong. We must also maintain and improve anti-terrorism units in the Department of Defense strong. We must invest in understanding how people are radicalized by social media. Massive military responses have strengthened foreign terrorist organizations.

Neutral

Not a state-level issue.

Agree

Federal issue. This has to be more than a "border wall" because the criminals are getting into the US in other ways besides hiking across the border between checkpoints. They are using visas to come through entry points or tunnels to go under "border walls." We need to improve drug interdiction at legal checkpoints, because 85% of the drug smugglers are US citizens.

Federal Issue. I worked on legitimate political asylum cases. I would refine our current Title 8 laws, especially political asylum. Unfortunately, even our current laws have not been adequately funded for the past 20 years, if ever. I would fully fund immigration courts to clear the backlogs. I would improve the temporary work visa programs to make them easier for employers to use, especially in agriculture, and provide a path for hard-working immigrants to come work and earn citizenship.

Neutral

I support both strong public education and alternative education options; however, I think voucher programs and tax credits cannot come at the expense of public education. Our society is already under strain because of extreme income disparity, and reducing funding for our public education will only increase that disparity in the future.

Neutral

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Disagree

I have always been asked for photo identification in Virginia, except for absentee voting during my military service, and that service was verified at the time. I think the Real ID drivers licenses are adequate now. We must make getting any identification needed free and convenient to get for people who work long hours.

I would reduce the early voting window to two or three weeks, especially for primary elections. I would preserve early voting as a means for working people and caregivers to vote in person. But the long period we currently have is expensive, especially for small rural communities.

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I agree with our US Constitution as a definition of the role of government. I've taken oaths to defend the US Constitution six times during my military and other government service, and I would still die to protect it. Virginia's Constitution is similar in many ways. Considering Virginia state government, however, I would like to see a shift from the Dillon Rule toward more Home Rule. I would like to get government out of the doctor's office, the pastor's office, and our bedrooms.

Lean Conservative

I have always considered myself a conservative, but the meaning of that has changed over the years. I am a constitutional conservative, rule of law conservative, and fiscal conservative. On fiscal matters, I believe in strong accountability to the taxpayer, having spent over a decade fighting fraud, waste, and abuse, saving taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. As a follower of Jesus, however, I believe we must have strong communities, and that includes a sustainable safety net.

Read my farm and food newsletter at SomeoneGrewThat.Farm.

No.

My priority is restoring and strengthening rural communities, with emphasis on reducing the cost of living so that the "American Dream" can be reality for hard-working Americans. I will focus on housing, food, medical care, and education. I will ensure that our state government enables people to succeed through hard work. Today, maybe 1 out of 1000 children are struggling with their gender identity, but exactly 1000 out of 1000 children need a home, food, medical care, and an education. I will work toward these priorities

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