Virginia House Passes Bill to Overturn Pro-Life Laws Saving Babies From Abortions

State   |   Micaiah Bilger   |   Jan 28, 2020   |   5:37PM   |   Richmond, VA

Virginia Democrat lawmakers have made the killing of unborn babies in abortions a top priority for 2020.

Immediately after they won control of the Virginia House and Senate in January, Democrat politicians began pushing legislation to expand abortions and repeal state pro-life laws.

On Tuesday, House Democrats voted to repeal a series of common-sense abortion restrictions, including a requirement that doctors perform abortions and two informed consent requirements, the AP reports. The legislation now moves to the state Senate for consideration.

If the bill passes, women no longer would be required to wait 24 hours between informed consent and the abortion, nor would abortion facilities be required to provide an ultrasound and counseling prior to the abortion, according to the report. Nurse practitioners and midwives would be allowed to do abortions as well.

Other legislation making its way through the Virginia legislature would repeal the state parental consent requirement for minors seeking abortions, National Review reports.

Here’s more from the report:

The legislation also would eliminate provisions governing informed consent, so that the person performing the abortion no longer would have to give women “a full, reasonable and comprehensible medical explanation of the nature, benefits, and risks of and alternatives” to abortion. Neither would women be told that they could withdraw their consent at any point prior to the procedure.

Under current Virginia law, women must be offered a chance to speak in advance with the physician performing the abortion, must receive a statement of the probable gestational age of the fetus, and must be offered a chance to review materials about the science of unborn human life, about agencies that offer alternatives to abortion, and about medical-assistance benefits that could help them obtain prenatal care. The bills under consideration would remove those provisions entirely.

Abortion activists say they want Virginia to become a “safe haven” for abortions. But the abortion regulations that they are trying to repeal protect women as well as unborn babies.

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Parental consent laws, for example, help protect young girls from being pressured or forced into abortion by an abuser, often to hide the abuse from the girl’s parents. They also ensure parents are involved in the important, life-altering decision – one that a young, impressionable girl may later regret.

Informed consent requirements make sure women are making an informed choice, rather than just being sold an abortion. These laws allow women to see their unborn babies on an ultrasound screen and receive information about the support that is available if they choose life for their child.

Ending the doctors-only requirement for abortions also could put women’s lives at greater risk. One study found that abortions done by non-physicians were twice as likely to have complications as those done by licensed physicians.

This is not the first time Virginia Democrats have tried to dismantle life-saving laws.

Several years ago, under Democrat Gov. Terry McAuliffe, Virginia women’s health and safety also was jeopardized when Virginia State Board of Health weakened state abortion facility regulations.

The regulations have helped to protect women and babies in Virginia from shoddy abortion practices, including those of notorious abortionist Steven Brigham. The late-term abortionist lost his license to practice in five states, faced criminal charges for allegedly killing late-term unborn babies, employed a sex offender and allegedly injured several women. In 2016, Virginia authorities shut down Brigham’s Fairfax, Virginia abortion facility after discovering filthy, dangerous conditions during an inspection.

Last year, Virginia saw another extreme pro-abortion bill that would have allowed abortions up to the point of labor, even if there are no physical health problems with the mother or baby. Pro-life Republican lawmakers blocked the bill, sponsored by state Del. Kathy Tran, but some fear Tran’s bill also could return now that Democrats control the legislature.

Action: Contact Virginia state lawmakers.