Dems Turn Virginia Into an Abortionist’s Dream!
In a year in which Democrats are seeking all sorts of background checks and information on law abiding gun owners, they are at the same time willing to wipe out all informed consent requirements for women considering an abortion, which includes having an ultrasound.
Yesterday's passage of HB 980, sponsored by Charniele Herring (D-46, Alexandria), sends a clear message to mothers who are contemplating having an abortion – that political agendas, convenience and profit are more important than their health and safety.
Since 1985, The Family Foundation has fought hard to ensure that mothers who make that unfortunate decision to have an abortion are at least afforded some basic safety protections and are fully informed before they decide. Over the years we’ve celebrated some great legislative achievements that protect the unborn and the mother, like parental notification before a minor can have an abortion (1997), a ban on partial-birth abortions (1998/2003), abortion center health and safety standards (2011); and requiring an ultrasound – a “window into the womb” – prior to an abortion (2012).
But today marks a somber moment in Virginia history as the Democrat-led majority in the House agreed to Senate amendments to HB 980, officially passing Planned Parenthood’s wish list and sending it to Governor Northam for his signature – a Governor who openly endorses infanticide.
Here’s what HB 980 will do…
Allows nurse practitioners – not just physicians – to perform abortions
Eliminates virtually all requirements of informed consent prior to an abortion, including providing written educational materials which describe a "full, reasonable and comprehensible medical explanation of the nature, benefits, and risks of and alternatives to the proposed procedures or protocols" and "An instruction that the woman may withdraw her consent at any time prior to the performance of the procedure"
Eliminates the requirement for an ultrasound before performing an abortion so that the mother has the opportunity to see her baby’s image and hear her baby’s heartbeat
Removes the 24-hour wait period between the ultrasound and abortion (which paves the way for abuse and coerced abortions)
Eliminates ALL health and safety regulations and oversight from the state’s abortion centers that have proven so very necessary. They will have no accountability without these.
Removes any civil penalties for an abortionist who has failed to do these things
With the elimination of basic health and safety standards, Democrats are turning Virginia into a safe-haven for the next Kermit Gosnell who’ll put the lives of women at risk all in the name of convenience and higher profit margins.
Prior to Roe v. Wade (1973), abortion proponents demanded that it be legal supposedly in order to stop unqualified people from performing “back alley” abortions on vulnerable women. But in eliminating all health and safety regulations, the abortion industry only puts mothers having an abortion at greater risk of harm, affirming what we’ve known all along – the abortion industry doesn’t care about women’s safety, only profit!
There is no better example of what happens when there is a lack of health and safety standards than abortionist Kermit Gosnell from Pennsylvania, who’s now serving prison time for operating a horrible abortion facility that involved collecting aborted babies as trophies.
If it were true that abortion proponents wanted women to be empowered to make the choice that’s best for them, then it’s only logical to presume that they need all the information available to make an informed decision. So, why take away the mother’s ability to learn about the procedure, understand its risks, and actually have the opportunity to look into her womb to know what the physician is taking?
Here’s why: because they are firmly aware of the mounting evidence that shows that women who view an ultrasound image of their baby prior to an abortion will more often opt not to go through with the abortion than those who do not view the image. They also know that every state with an ultrasound requirement law has an abortion rate lower than the national average.
My hope is that compassionate Virginians, like the thousands who showed up in Richmond for our second annual March for Life, will point these mothers to a pregnancy support center near them where they will find people who’ll graciously walk that journey with them.
Thank you for the all of your emails and phone calls to legislators urging them to protect women’s health and safety and the sanctity of life, and know that we will fight even harder to restore what was lost this year.
