A Senate committee killed three bills which would have eased abortion regulations in the commonwealth today. Pre-abortion trans-vaginal ultrasounds, mandatory waiting periods, and how insurers cover the controversial procedure would have been altered by the bills, but the 15 member Senate Education and Health Committee nixed them all.



A Senate committee killed three bills which would have eased abortion regulations in the commonwealth today. Pre-abortion trans-vaginal ultrasounds, mandatory waiting periods, and how insurers cover the controversial procedure would have been altered by the bills, but the 15 member Senate Education and Health Committee nixed them all.



Sen. Mamie Locke (D-Hampton) (pictured below) introduced Senate Bill 733, which would repeal the statute requiring women to obtain a trans-abdominal ultrasound at least 24 hours before their scheduled abortion. Locke’s bill would have also removed the code requiring a physician offer the woman a view of the ultrasound, a printed image of the ultrasound, and an opportunity to listen to the fetal heartbeats.

Locke said this statute is “a measure to shame, judge and delay women’s access to abortion.” She said this law was not enacted for any necessary medical purposes.

“Requiring an ultrasound before abortion is about a political interference not informed consent,” said Locke. “It is about a misguided presumption that a woman cannot make a carefully considered decision without the government reaching into the most private aspects of her life.”

SB733 failed to report in a 7-8 vote.

Sen. Jennifer Wexton’s (D-Leesburg) (pictured below) bill, SB 920, would repeal the 24-hour time requirement between the mandatory ultrasound and abortion procedure. The current statute says women have to have an ultrasound at least 24 hours before they undergo an abortion, or at least two hours before the procedure if they live more than 100 miles from the clinic.

Wexton said the current law requires three trips to the clinic for women seeking an abortion, which is an economic hardship for some women. “Putting up medically unnecessary borders that disproportionately impact poor women is, in my mind, poor public policy,” Wexton said.

SB920 failed in a 6-9 vote.

Senate Bill 769, introduced by Sen. Don McEachin (D-Richmond), would remove the ban on including abortion coverage in any health insurance plan that is included in the Virginia health benefits exchange.

SB 769 failed in a 7-8 vote.

Jessica Cochrane, Executive Vice President of the Family Foundation, opposed all three bills on behalf of the Family Foundation and the Virginia Catholic Conference.

Aisha Michel, representative of the American Civil Liberties Union, echoed the sentiments of many supporters of these three bills during her testimonial in support of SB769.

“We may not all feel the same way about abortion, but we should all believe that a women who decides to get an abortion deserves access to safe and legal medical care,” Michel said. “A woman and a doctor should decide what care she needs, not politicians.”

Senate Bill 733

YES

Saslaw, Lucas, Howell, Locke, Barker, Peterson, Lewis

NO

Newman, Smith, McWaters, Black, Carrico, Garrett, Cosgrove, Martin

Senate Bill 920

YES

Saslaw, Howell, Locke, Barker, Peterson, Lewis

NO

Lucas, Newman, Smith, McWaters, Black, Carrico, Garrett, Cosgrove, Martin

Senate Bill 769

YES

Saslaw, Lucas, Howell, Locke, Barker, Peterson, Lewis

NO

Newman, Smith, McWaters, Black, Carrico, Garrett, Cosgrove, Martin