The Virginian-Pilot
©
RICHMOND
A series of bills to place restrictions on abortions in Virginia met their demise Thursday in the Senate Education and Health Committee, which has become a perennial burial ground for such measures.
Among those defeated were bills to extend constitutional rights to unborn children (SB1378 and 1207 ); to require an ultrasound before a woman has an abortion (SB1435 ); to make it a crime to force a woman to terminate a pregnancy (SB1217 ); and to prohibit coverage of abortions by medical insurance exchanges set up to comply with the federal health care law except in cases of rape or health risks for women (SB1202 ).
Each of the measures was killed largely on a party line vote by the committee, which is composed of 10 Democrats and five Republicans.
Lobbying for his bill to provide protection for unborn children, Sen. Bill Stanley, R-Franklin, said, "The ultimate effect of this is to create legal status for the unborn in cases of wrongful death." A Missouri law with that effect has been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, he added.
Similar legislation was sponsored by Harrisonburg Republican Sen. Mark Obenshain, who said its intent is to provide a means for civil recompense in cases of wrongful death for unborn children to supplement existing criminal law.
Obenshain also carried the bill to block abortion coverage by health insurance exchanges to be created in the coming years under the provisions of the federal health care act. He said his aim is to prevent the use of taxpayer dollars to pay for abortions.
"People should not be forced to pay for other people's abortions, especially when we're talking about public dollars," said Jeff Caruso, executive director of the Virginia Catholic Conference.
Opponents argued that the federal law already blocks public money from funding abortions.
Jessica Honke of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia labeled the bill "an unprecedented attempt to take comprehensive, private medical coverage away from Virginians."
"This bill is government intrusion at its worst," added Tarina Keene of NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia, calling the proposal antithetical to free market, capitalist principles.
Sen. Ralph Smith offered the legislation to mandate an ultrasound before an abortion to determine the age of a fetus, and require that the mother be given a chance to view the image.
"It gives a woman the opportunity to make an informed choice," said Smith, R-Botetourt.
He also sponsored a bill to make it a crime to force a woman to have an abortion.
Speaking against that measure, Katherine Greenier of the ACLU of Virginia said that if bill proponents "truly cared about women in abusive relationships," they would support programs to benefit those women rather than being "false friends."
Several anti-abortion advocates spoke in support of the bills, including representatives from the Family Foundation of Virginia and Americans United for Life.
Julian Walker, (804) 697-1564, julian.walker@pilotonline.com
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You can't have it both ways
For all those that feel the decision to terminate a pregnancy should be taken out of the hands of the woman involved, I have a simple question. Do you also support reductions or even elimination in medicaid, head start, or and other programs that support the poor? How do you tell a woman that can not provide for a child's welfare either, emotionally of financially that, they must carry their baby to term? I don't have the answer to this issue but I do know that the ultimate decision is the mother's and not the state's. The irony in this is that many of the people that want to control this issue are the same ones that scream about "nanny states", government over-reach, and other social programs.
I actually agree but
The "ultimate choice" is the states when it involves the life or death of its citizens. I cannot think of one exception in history where a state did not allow for itself laws concerning such matters. I agree that MUCH more could be done to support a CULTURE of LIFE to support women and children. It`s cosmically odd and perverse to me that we have locally the incompetence to squander 338 MILLION dollars on 6.73 miles of a train to Notown Road ($1470 per Norfolk citizen) and do not do more of what you suggest. As far as government over-reach goes an awful lot of conservatives would be much more inclined to support higher taxes and more programs if only levies were spent efficiently. Sadly government on all levels is anything but.
The Beauty of it is
that the "choice" movement is killing its own soldiers. Some choice. The pro-lifers have their children. They are growing. The choosers are dying off. What if the choosers` parents had felt the same way? I guess then they wouldn`t have had much of a choice . Come on people we are much better as a society than to believe the killing of babies is sound public policy. If we are not then we are no better than ANY totalitarian state past or present that wantonly murders its own citizens for any reason.
So glad the rantin right has time to pander to the tea party
Brining up an abortion bill that is already covered by the federal health reform law is not only pandering to the tea party but shows their lack of concerns for real issues facing Virgina, namely roads and jobs.
Good Job Dems
The Democrates again protected our Freedom of choice. Are they serious about extending Constitutional protection to a non-viable embryo & fetus? How about the Republicans trying to repeal the health care bill and thus deny 30 million Americans health care insurance while forcing women to have unwanted baby's.
Who's freedom of choice?
The mothers?
Were's the fathers choice?
He doesn't have a say? After all, it takes two to tango, as they say. This wasn't a self-copulation.
So then, by your reasoning
the sperm donor should then be able to make the woman have an abortion.
Richard.....
C'mon... except in cases of rape and the very rare case of failed birth control.. there is virtually no reason for a woman to become pregnant . So please don't talk about rights being taken away, that's really not valid. The child should have some rights and it should not be easy to throw a life away. The Republicans that support changes in abortion laws are not taking away the right to abortion, just putting in some requirements.
My favorite part of the bill
My favorite part of the bill is when the baby is found to be here illegally all said given constitutional rights given while in the fetus are then stripped away and baby is then deported back to the womb.