{"id":321554,"date":"2024-11-14T08:50:39","date_gmt":"2024-11-14T14:50:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=321554"},"modified":"2024-11-13T23:45:48","modified_gmt":"2024-11-14T05:45:48","slug":"virginia-delegate-committee-amendment-abortion-zero-restrictions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/virginia-delegate-committee-amendment-abortion-zero-restrictions\/","title":{"rendered":"Virginia delegate committee advances amendment allowing abortion to birth, for any reason"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This week<\/span><\/a>, Members of the House of Delegates committee on Privileges and Elections “advanced three constitutional amendments to the full House on Wednesday.” One of those amendments would,<\/span> if adopted, enshrine abortion ‘rights’ until birth for any reason. Currently, nine states plus Washington, D.C.<\/a> allow abortion with no restrictions<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The \u201cFundamental right to reproductive freedom\u201d\u2014 or what the Virginia Society for Human Life (VSHL) is more accurately calling the \u201c<\/span>Abortion up to birth amendment<\/span><\/a>\u201d \u2014 was <\/span>brought up<\/span><\/a> before the House Privileges and Elections Committee on Wednesday, November 13th, and was advanced in a party-line vote. The move appears to be an acceleration of the <\/span>declared timeline<\/span><\/a> put forth by big money abortion groups.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Getting this right, something this big with life and death consequences, I think deserves more than just this meeting,” House Republican Leader Todd Gilbert said, according to local station WTKR<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, the pro-abortion lobby sent bills to the governor\u2019s desk intending to shield abortionists who break laws in Virginia or elsewhere. Governor Youngkin vetoed the bills, <\/span>Live Action News <\/span>reports<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

The wording of <\/span>HJ1<\/span><\/a> (and its companion <\/span>SJ1<\/span><\/a>) is similar to the ACLU- and Planned Parenthood-funded constitutional amendment in <\/span>Montana<\/span><\/a> that voters adopted. The wording of the amendment is the most extreme abortion proposal in Virginia, and would negate any and all abortion limits,<\/strong> such as Virginia\u2019s already late limit on abortion, which is after<\/i> the widely-accepted age of viability, and sits at 26 weeks and 6 days. It completely excludes any reference to viability<\/strong><\/em> and includes no limits<\/strong> except to “ensure the protection of the health of an individual seeking care.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet somehow, inexplicably, local station WTKR claims<\/a>, “Like current state law, it says Virginia may regulate abortion care in the third trimester of pregnancy, although Republicans questioned whether the language is as specific as state law.” Nowhere<\/em> does the amendment state anything about regulation of abortion at all, nor does it mention trimesters of pregnancy.<\/p>\n

Similar to other recently-passed pro-abortion amendments<\/a>, the amendment text even contains controversial “pregnancy outcomes<\/a>” language that some legal experts believe could allow for the decriminalization of infanticide.
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The text reads:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That every individual has the fundamental right to reproductive freedom. This right to make and effectuate one’s own decisions about all matters related to one’s pregnancy shall not be denied, burdened, or infringed upon, unless justified by a compelling state interest<\/strong> and achieved by the least restrictive means that do not infringe an individual’s autonomous decision-making. A state interest is compelling only when it is to ensure the protection of the health of an individual seeking care<\/strong>, consistent with accepted clinical standards of practice and evidence-based medicine. The Commonwealth shall not discriminate in the protection or enforcement of this fundamental right.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

That, except when justified by a compelling state interest, the Commonwealth shall not penalize, prosecute, or otherwise take adverse action against an individual on the basis of an actual, potential, perceived, or alleged outcome of such individual’s pregnancy<\/strong>, nor shall the Commonwealth penalize, prosecute, or otherwise take adverse action against an individual who aids or assists another individual, with such individual’s voluntary consent, in the exercise of such individual’s right to reproductive freedom.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The amendment would negate parental consent laws, which would not only put minors in danger, but as Live Action News has reported, would also <\/span>aid in covering up human trafficking<\/span><\/a>. Human trafficking <\/span>only became illegal<\/span><\/a> in Virginia in 2015, and Virginia currently ranks <\/span>15th in the nation<\/span><\/a> for human trafficking.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s worse, it would also prevent any potential limitations or more popular common-sense restrictions on abortion in the future. It would enshrine abortion up to birth in Virginia\u2019s constitution permanently.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This is not the first time<\/a> lawmakers have attempted to legalize abortion up to birth in Virginia by a proposed constitutional amendment. And back in 2019, Delegate Kathy Tran was lambasted<\/a> after introducing a bill<\/a> to legalize abortion up to birth in the state. At that time, Del. Todd Gilbert questioned Tran:<\/span><\/p>\n

So where it\u2019s obvious that a woman is about to give birth, she has physical signs that she\u2019s about to give birth, would that still be a point at which she could still request an abortion if she was so certified [as needing an abortion to protect her mental health]? She\u2019s dilating?<\/em>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tran responded, “Mr. Chairman, you know, that would be a decision that the doctor, the physician, and the woman would make.”<\/p>\n

Gilbert replied, “I understand that. I\u2019m asking if your bill allows that.”<\/p>\n

Tran said, “My bill would allow that, yes.”<\/p>\n