Planned Parenthood ‘So Proud’ Virginia Democrats Rolling Back Abortion Limits

Pro-choice and pro-life activists demonstrate in front of the the US Supreme Court during
OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images
Dr. Susan Berry

Abortion giants Planned Parenthood and NARAL expressed pride and gratitude to the new Democrat majority in Virginia who approved bills in the House and Senate to roll back abortion restrictions this week.

The Virginia Senate passed the Reproductive Health Protection Act (SB 733), that rescinds the required 24-hour waiting period, ultrasound, and counseling prior to having an abortion. In addition, the bill allows non-physicians to perform abortions and rolls back building safety standards in abortion clinics that are required of other outpatient facilities.

Democrats said all of the abortion restrictions are unnecessary and make access to abortion more burdensome.

Only one Democrat in the Virginia Senate — State Sen. Joe Morrissey — split with his party and voted with Republicans, leaving a 20-20 tie that was ultimately broken by Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax (D).

Democrats in the Virginia House of Delegates passed a version of the bill Tuesday. Both chambers must now pass each other’s version of the legislation.

National pro-life leaders reacted strongly to the approval of the bills by Virginia’s new pro-abortion majority.

Jeanne Mancini, president of March for Life, called it “a sad day for the state” where a bill was passed that would “open the floodgates to unregulated abortion in Virginia.”

Mancini said in a press release:

Radical pro-abortion politicians continue to insist on pushing abortion at any cost, even when it lowers the bar for women’s health and safety. The women of Virginia deserve far better than this. For over a decade eight out of ten Americans would significantly limit abortion- that includes six out of ten pro-choice Americans. Virginia legislators are blindly following the abortion lobby on this and way out of touch with their constituents.

“Virginia is going down an extremist path, dramatically out of step with the majority of Americans who support common sense limits on abortion including health and safety standards,” said Mallory Quigley, Susan B. Anthony List vice president of communications.

Americans United for Life (AUL) stated the pro-life organization is “appalled by the flippant approach that many Virginia politicians are taking towards the wellbeing of the state’s women and girls.”

“This is a tremendous setback,” said Katie Glenn, AUL government affairs counsel, adding:

But, as we have seen in the past, such as when Gov. Ralph Northam proposed letting a born-alive survivor of abortion die due to lack of care and treatment, pro-abortion extremism galvanizes many more Americans to protect life in their state. I look forward to partnering with those concerned citizens every step of the way to protect life throughout this critical year.

Northam, a pediatric neurologist, created a firestorm and ushered in a national debate about infanticide in late January 2019 when he defended a bill introduced by Democrat Delegate Kathy Tran that would permit terminating the life of an unborn child, even if a woman decides to abort as she is dilating.

The Democrat governor said, under the bill, if an infant survives abortion:

If a mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen. The infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother.

Steven H. Aden, AUL’s chief legal officer and general counsel, warned of the effects of the Virginia Democrats’ decision to advance their legislation.

“Virginia is courting disaster by advancing this retrograde legislation,” he asserted. “Abortion will become even more dirty and dangerous in Virginia, patient care will degrade, and women seeking care will be at greater risk.”

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