VA Antiabortion Measures Fizzle Before Senate Panel

[MountainLaurel]

RICHMOND, Feb. 17 -- Abortion foes in Virginia faced successive legislative defeats Thursday as a Senate panel blocked several measures that had topped their agenda for the year.

In what has become a yearly exercise for the General Assembly, the bills were passed with little opposition by the House of Delegates and then killed by the Senate's Education and Health Committee.

snip

Senators on the panel say they are blocking bills they consider irresponsible and unconstitutional.

"This committee has essentially been, for the last decade, the safety check on legislation that would virtually destroy a woman's access to an abortion in Virginia," said Sen. Richard L. Saslaw (D-Fairfax).

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33238-2005Feb17.html

I love when sanity prevails! At least some percentage in the VA legislature are not complete misogynistic asshats.

[Ian David]

1. Here's more from the article

<snip>

In the afternoon, the committee blocked a bill to regulate abortion clinics like outpatient surgery centers. Abortion clinics are treated as doctor's offices and are not regularly inspected. Proponents of HB 2784 argue the regulations, which would include guidelines not only on sterile conditions and cleanliness but also on the widths of hallways and doorways, are needed to improve safety. Critics say they would require costly renovations designed to put clinics out of business.

The panel also rejected a measure that would prohibit the sale of fetal tissue from abortions. A federal law already prohibits such sales across state lines, but Del. Robert G. Marshall (R-Prince William) argued that a Virginia law was needed.

[Maat]

2. Thank Spirit this one was defeated, IanDB1.

That's ridiculous. They never give up at using their imagination to dream up one thousand different types of harassment.