Virginia approves toned-down abortion ultrasound bill
Lawmakers in Virginia approved Wednesday a watered-down version of a highly contested bill requiring patients in the eastern US state to undergo an ultrasound prior to an abortion.
By a 65-32 vote, the Republican-dominated House of Delegates gave its green light to 11th hour revisions proposed by Governor Bob McDonnell to tame a national uproar over the so-called “informed consent” legislation.
In its original form, every patient seeking an abortion in Virginia would have to submit to a transvaginal ultrasound screening, in which a probe is inserted deep into the vagina.
The resulting image would remain in a patient’s medical file for seven years, and any doctor who failed to perform a pre-abortion ultrasound would be liable to prosecution and fines.
But under pressure from pro-choice activists, as well as stinging ridicule from late-night television comics, McDonnell tweaked the bill to require only non-intrusive abdominal ultrasounds.
“It is clear that in the majority of cases, a routine external, transabdominal ultrasound is sufficient to meet the bill’s stated purpose, that is, to determine gestational age,” he said in a letter to lawmakers.
“Mandating an invasive procedure in order to give informed consent is not a proper role for the state,” added McDonnell, a Roman Catholic father of five and a rising star in the Republican party.
“No person should be directed to undergo an invasive procedure by the state, without their consent, as a precondition to another medical procedure.”
Democratic legislators tried to get a final vote on the bill postponed for a third day running, saying they needed time to look closer at the governor’s amendments, but they were outnumbered by their Republican counterparts.
Chip, chip, chip. That’s the sound of Roe v Wade being destroyed slowly. The republicans are fighting a war of attrition. They purpose these big, awful options so that when they settle for lesser restrictions it seems reasonable.
this is still so fucking offensive
listen fuckbags
i know what’s in my guts
that’s why i am trying to get rid of it
showing me a weird fuzzy lump isn’t going to change my mind unless it’s a little fucking kitten or something
then i’ll care
SO UNTIL YOU FIGURE OUT HOW TO TURN FETUSES INTO KITTENS shut up
This pisses me off so much.
What’s this “seven years in your medical file” nonsense? Apparently all the news stories I’ve heard about the bill glossed over that part. What in the fucking shit?!?! This is not middle school, and your medical file is not the big, scary, mythical “permanent record” that the principal used to scare you into behaving.
They don’t get brownie points for removing the invasive ultrasound provision, or for killing the “personhood” bill. This thing goes in the trash or we raise cain.
