{"id":217672,"date":"2020-01-30T16:20:11","date_gmt":"2020-01-30T22:20:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=217672"},"modified":"2020-01-30T16:21:00","modified_gmt":"2020-01-30T22:21:00","slug":"virginia-eliminate-abortion-restrictions-dangerous-women","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/virginia-eliminate-abortion-restrictions-dangerous-women\/","title":{"rendered":"Despite dangers to women, Virginia votes to eliminate abortion regulations"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Abortion regulations put into place by pro-life Republicans may soon be eliminated, as pro-abortion lawmakers in Virginia look to make abortions<\/a>\u00a0easier than ever to obtain — and likely far less safe. The new bill, HB-980<\/a>, would eliminate the state’s 24-hour waiting period and informed consent requirements. It would also expand the list of who is allowed to commit abortions and would lessen standards for abortion facilities.<\/p>\n

Tuesday, the Virginia House of Delegates voted 52-45 for the bill, which would get rid of requirements including ambulatory surgical center standards for abortion facilities, the 24-hour waiting period, delivery of informed consent materials, and a transabdominal ultrasound. The bill would also allow physician’s assistants, nurse practitioners, and certified-nurse midwives to commit abortions. “This bill goes back to the basic principle that this is between a woman and [her] doctor,\u201d House Majority Leader Charniele Herring said, according to WTOP<\/a>. And yet, these medical professionals are not doctors\u00a0<\/em>and have far less medical training than those who have spent years in medical school.<\/p>\n

Del. Patrick Hope, meanwhile, insinuated that the restrictions were “only aimed to limit a woman\u2019s ability to access safe and legal abortion care, and it\u2019s time to finally roll back these outdated laws that are not based on health and are not based on safety.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ:\u00a0Planned Parenthood ignores safety, wants non-doctors to commit abortions<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

However, even the judge who ruled last year in favor of allowing Virginia non-physicians to commit abortions (before he changed his mind)\u00a0stated in his ruling<\/a>, “some [non-doctors] could capably perform first trimester abortions, but I don\u2019t believe their training would support them managing complications<\/strong><\/em>.” (emphasis added)<\/p>\n

Wednesday, the Senate likewise approved the legislation<\/a>, although in the Senate version, nurse practitioners would be the only non-physicians given the authority to commit abortions. The vote was originally tied, with a vote of 20-20, and Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax broke the tie with his vote to pass the bill.<\/p>\n

The bills are part of Gov. Ralph Northam’s legislative agenda, meaning that if they pass both the House and the Senate, whichever one is ultimately approved will almost certainly be signed into law.<\/p>\n