Bob McDonnell said on Wednesday he opposes the controversial abortion measure. Virginia stalls 'personhood' bill

The Virginia state Senate sent a controversial “personhood” bill that would define life as starting at conception back to committee on Thursday, killing any chance of action on the measure before the 2012 election.

The Senate voted 24-14 to send the bill back to committee and carry it over to 2013, The Associated Press reported.


A Senate committee earlier on Thursday had endorsed the measure 8-7 on party lines, with Democrats casting votes against. State Senate Republican Leader Tommy Norment, however, made the motion to delay the bill on the floor, arguing that the legislature needed further time to review the measure.

Voters shot down a similar personhood bill in Mississippi in the November election. If it had passed, the referendum had been expected to outlaw abortion in the state completely and ban some forms of birth control.

Virginia has also been at the center of national debate this week over another controversial bill requiring women to undergo ultrasounds before having an abortion.

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell on Wednesday said he would not support a bill requiring women to have an invasive internal ultrasound before having an abortion. After his announcement, the Virginia state House overwhelmingly approved, 65-32, a watered-down version of the bill that would only require an external ultrasound. It now heads to the state Senate, where on Thursday a committee also approved a measure requiring an external ultrasound.