Transvaginal ultrasound before abortion
Personhood Law
HOUSE DEMOCRATS DENOUNCE PASSAGE OF INVASIVE ULTRASOUND BILL
Richmond - On the final day for House bills to be considered before crossing over to the Senate, Republicans capped their divisive social-issue agenda by passing the physically intrusive HB462. The measure, sponsored by Del. Kathy Byron (R-Bedford), mandates women have an ultrasound performed - which includes the transvaginal procedure that requires a device to be inserted into the vagina - before they can undergo an abortion or medically-induced miscarriage.
"House Republicans have decided to pry even further into the private lives of Virginia women by requiring doctors to offer to perform an invasive medical procedure before they can exercise their constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy," said Del. Charniele Herring (D-Alexandria). "House Republicans can no longer call themselves the party of 'small government' with a straight face after the passage of HB462."
Showing a further lack of respect for women's privacy, Del. Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandoah) remarked during floor debate that women making the difficult personal decision to undergo an abortion were engaging in "lifestyle convenience."
"Yesterday, I offered an amendment that would have protected women from the unwanted vaginal penetration required by this bill, and House Republicans rejected that amendment," said Del. David Englin (D-Alexandria). "The next time Virginia Republicans speak the words 'government intrusion' I hope voters will remember this vote and hold them accountable for their hypocrisy."
A companion bill, SB484, passed the Senate two weeks ago. Supporters of both measures could not produce evidence in committee of the medical necessity for a pre-abortion ultrasound, nor the need to delay the results by one day or keep the information in the patient's
Virginia on Path to Being First State with "Personhood" Law
House of Delegates Pass Sweeping Legislation Granting Constitutional Rights to Fertilized Eggs and Advances Mandatory Ultrasounds
Today, the House of Delegates approved Delegate Bob Marshall's (R-Prince William) so called "personhood" bill by a 66-32 vote.
The bill's intent is similar to the recently defeated Mississippi ballot amendment that voters rejected by 58%. H.B. 1 would ban birth control and abortion upon the overturning of any U.S. Supreme Court precedent that protects a women's constitutional right to privacy.
"The General Assembly is dangerously close to making Virginia the first state in the country to grant personhood rights to fertilized eggs," said Tarina Keene, Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia. She continued, "With the word "person" appearing more than 25,000 times in the Virginia code, single-minded legislators are about to run this Commonwealth off a cliff as well as eradicating women's health and rights."