Posted on 09/15/2011 8:22:09 PM PDT by HokieMom
After hearing from more than 30 speakers during hours of debate, the Virginia Board of Health on Thursday approved sweeping changes to abortion-clinic regulations that abortion-rights groups say will close many of the state's 22 clinics. Acting under a mandate from the Legislature, the board passed the new rules on a 12-1 vote. The emergency regulations, favored by pro-life advocates, give the state more control over facilities that provide five or more first-trimester abortions per month and requires those facilities to abide by regulations normally reserved for hospitals.
By the start of 2012, clinics would be required to renovate their buildings to comply with the same standards now applied to hospital surgery centers, including larger operating rooms and bigger parking lots. Women's health advocates insist the new regulations are unduly burdensome and a roundabout attempt to close down the clinics.
Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://washingtonexaminer.com/politics/2011/09/va-approves-strict-new-rules-abortion-clinics#ixzz1Y58mN8Fh
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonexaminer.com ...
bttt
Yes, good news.
At a time when governments are shutting down children’s lemonade stands because they don’t have permits or cannot pass health codes, it’s a little ridiculous that a place that does outpatient surgeries objects to mandates of sterile conditions.
It’s all about the health of the woman, don’tchaknow.
The Falls Church Planned Parenthood abortion clinic, probably the largest baby killer in the commmonwealth, has its own bus stop. If you don’t realize it’s an abortion clinic, the bus stop (one of the few full shelters in the area) seems completely bizarre: it’s in the middle of a long block... but it prevents sidewalk counsellors from being able to get anyone near anyone who uses public transportation.
By far the biggest baby-killing operation in the nation, however, is on the Maryland side of the DC metro: The Seventh Day Adventist church! They’re Shady Grove-Adventist fertility clinic produces thousands apon thousands of excess fertilizations each year... most of which are killed.
It’s about time!!
If these dumps actually cared about women and young girls, they’d of done this years ago voluntarily!
I’m absolutely NOT “pro-death” (proabortion) but it’s about time they had to do what’s in the best interest of humans, instead of protecting the bottom line...profit.
I just hope this isn’t a precursor to public funding of abortions.
Perhaps they can be regulated out of existence.
Email from Planned Parenthood of VA Action fund on this topic:
BREAKING NEWS: The Board of Health just voted to impose drastic and medically unnecessary regulations on first-trimester abortion providers in Virginia.
Todays vote is a direct result of sweeping anti-choice victories in recent elections. Anti-choice dream team Bob McDonnell, Bill Bolling and Ken Cuccinelli worked with the anti-choice majorities in the House and Senate to direct the Board of Health to issue these regulations. Its simple: elections have consequences.
When a majority of state elected officials support reproductive rights and health, we advance commonsense legislation that improves reproductive healthcare and increases access to birth control and comprehensive sex education.
When a majority of state elected officials oppose reproductive rights and health, we spend countless hours and resources defending against relentless attacks on abortion and family planning. When we lose, women and families in Virginia suffer.
You can help us stop the attacks by making a gift to our Action Fund today. Your gift will go directly to our efforts to defeat the legislators who voted to direct the Board of Health to impose these regulations and protect the legislators who opposed them.
The entire state legislature is up for re-election this Novemberif pro-choice candidates dont win a majority in the State Senate, access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare in Virginia will continue to be gravely threatened.
Yes, we have a pro-choice president, and yes, Roe v. Wade is the law of the land. But the reality is state legislators have an enormous amount of power when it comes to affecting ACCESS to reproductive health care. They can create barriers, like directing the Board of Health to impose regulations that will decrease access to abortion while increasing its cost for the women who need it.
Many of you have spoken out against the McDonnell Administrations attempts to play politics with womens health. Now state legislators need to hear from all of us on Election Day. We are already hard at work contacting voters on behalf of pro-choice candidates. But we need to increase those efforts and reach more voters. You can help by making your gift right now.
Thank you so much,
Melissa Reed
Vice-President of Public Policy
P.S. The election is on November 8. Help us send a message by making a gift today!
Similar email from VA Planned Parenthood on this topic:
Under Intimidation from Attorney General, Virginia Board of Health Rubber Stamps Draft Regulations
Patient Access to Abortion Care, Family Planning at Risk in Virginia
Statement from Virginia Coalition to Protect Womens Health:
Richmond-— The Virginia Coalition to Protect Womens Health is deeply disappointed that the Board of Health chose to ignore sound science and failed to protect patient interests, including access to health care and patient confidentiality, by adopting these medically inappropriate temporary regulations. We were dismayed that the Attorney Generals office unilaterally hijacked the deliberations of the Board of Health so that it could impose its own political agenda.
Womens reproductive health centers provide a full array of safe, affordable preventive health services, including life saving cancer screenings, birth control, prenatal care and abortion care. The records show our health centers in Virginia already support the highest standards of care for women, yet womens health centers that provide first trimester abortion care were singled out for this emergency regulatory process in the legislature.
The Board of Health was presented with testimony and comments from numerous medical professionals urging changes to the regulations and had multiple opportunities to adopt amendments that would have assured continued access to the full range of reproductive health services, including family planning and abortion care.
Despite testimony that showed the proposed regulations will likely drive up health care costs for patients and drive health providers out of practice, under pressure from the Attorney Generals office, the Board of Health chose to rubber stamp the draft regulations.
The sad fact is that the new regulations passed have no proven medical benefit to patients and, instead, will only serve to further limit patient access to abortion care as well as life saving cancer screenings, birth control, and the wide range of preventive care provided at womens reproductive health centers.
Simply put, rather than implement medically- proven policies, the Board of Health passed regulations that will put womens health at risk.
In these difficult economic times, when Virginians need more access to affordable, high quality health care, not less, women and families around the state may now find themselves struggling to find a health care provider.
Thats bad health policy and bad politics.
We call on Governor McDonnell to protect womens access and put a stop to the politics at patient expense. In coming days, we will alert you, our supporters, as to our next steps. Thank you for standing with us. We will continue to stand up for you!
BTTT
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