Victoria Cobb, President of the Family Foundation of Virginia has some great news to report.
Yesterday, the House of Delegates passed by a vote of 72-25 HB 393, patroned by Delegate Matt Lohr (R-26, Harrisonburg), a bill that would put unregulated abortion centers under three simple regulations: licensure, an annual inspection and to have life saving equipment on premises, such as defibrillators.
In the floor debate on the bill’s second read yesterday, when bills in the House are debated, opposition came from one of the General Assembly’s biggest pro-abortion advocates, Delegate David Englin (D-45, Alexandria). He tried to make the case that unregulated abortion centers are regulated. But Delegate Lohr correctly replied that, if so, then the simple requirements in the bill would not be cause for concern to the abortion centers. Delegate Englin then tried to paint a picture of hypocrisy by stating that doctors’ offices of various specialties are not regulated by the state. However, as Delegate Lohr responded, specific boards govern each medical specialty. But there are no recognized boards that institute standards for abortionists.
As I told the media yesterday, the General Assembly Building where members of the General Assembly work currently has external defibrillators available for emergencies. Virginia’s unregulated abortion centers do not. To ask a medical facility that performs invasive surgical procedures that include the use of anesthesia to simply have what the General Assembly building has seems reasonable to most Virginians. But the lucrative, billion dollar abortion industry rejects even this most simple safety measure.
At the same time the abortion industry is attempting to regulate pregnancy resource centers – facilities that do not do invasive medical procedures – they are fighting against even the most basic standards for themselves. The hypocrisy is obvious to anyone willing to look.
The bipartisan vote yesterday was one of the largest margins in recent history. The bill now goes to the Senate where it most likely will be referred to the Education and Health Committee. Although pro-life bills typically meet a dismal fate there, we will continue to fight for – and ask your help in those battles – on just bills, such HB 393, and continue to spotlight the lawmakers who prove to be grossly out of step with mainstream Virginia.
See Our Latest General Assembly Blog Posts @ www.familyfoundationblog.com
Sign Up for Twitter Updates @ www.twitter.com/TFFVA
Join Us On Facebook @ www.facebook.com
See Our Video Center On YouTube @ www.youtube.com/
Posts
