Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Monday signed a bill into law that will make animal cruelty toward cats and dogs a felony in the commonwealth.

The state’s current law requires the animal to die from its injuries for the abuse to be deemed a felony. But under the new law, which comes into effect July 1, anyone who “tortures, willfully inflicts inhumane injury or pain,” or “cruelly and unnecessarily beats, maims or mutilates any dog or cat” can be found guilty of a Class-6 felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $2,500.

The bill was unanimously approved by both Virginia’s House of Delegates and Senate before advancing to the governor’s office. . . .

“This bill allows our officers to prosecute cruelty regardless of lifesaving medical interventions,” Christie Chipps Peters, director of Richmond Animal Care and Control, told ABC News in a statement. “We are grateful to everyone that made this change a reality.”

(Excerpted from ABC NEWS, article by Morgan Winsor.)

Editorial Note: While we agree that cruelty against animals is bad, and we support legislation against it, we were hoping that Governor Northam felt as compelled to care about the abuse, cruelty, mutilation, and infliction of pain on the unborn, and newly-born baby humans. Ironic that the Governor seems to value the lives of animals over the lives of baby humans.  Please continue to pray for a change of heart for Governor Northam, that he would see with open eyes the horrific nature of abortion that he has embraced.

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