The anti-choice attacks continue

We’re one week out from Virginia’s 2011 statewide elections, and the anti-choice attacks continue.

National anti-choice organizations are focused on attacking state Senator Edd Houck (Senate District 17), and they’re using outrageous smears about Planned Parenthood and other women’s healthcare providers to do it, including racially-charged attacks that disrespect black women’s reproductive decisions.

As we told you last week, Senator Houck is not only 100-percent pro-choice, but he is chair of the Senate Committee on Education and Health – the committee where all choice-related bills go in the Senate. This committee is one of the most important obstacles slowing down the anti-choice McDonnell-Cuccinelli agenda. While every vote in the state Senate is vital for protecting choice, Senator Houck is an especially important champion and advocate for women’s freedom, privacy and health. That’s why anti-choice groups are investing so much time and money in attacking him.

Senator Houck’s District 17 stretches between Fredericksburg and Charlottesville, containing the City of Fredericksburg, all of Orange County, and portions of Spotsylvania, Culpeper, Louisa and Albermarle counties. If you or people you know live in this district, make sure they know what’s at stake in this race and that they’re getting out to vote pro-choice on November 8!

With one week to go, we must protect and elect pro-choice champions who will stand up for the women of Virginia. To find out how you can get involved, visit our elections page and spread the word to your friends.

By NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia PAC staff. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.

Freedom doesn’t come free…

By Leigh

Last week, we saw that, according to a George Mason University Mercatus Center study entitled, “Freedom in the 50 States: An Index of Personal and Economic Freedom,” Virginia is the ninth overall freest state in the nation. Furthermore, it is the fifth in economic freedom and 22^nd in personal freedom.

In the article, “Virginia ranked 9^th in overall freedom,” the Richmond Times-Dispatch states that, “policies were weighted on how much they matter to those affected, and how many people they affect.” But how did the study judge who was affected? According to Kent Willis, executive director of the ACLU of Virginia, the list of “those affected” did not encompass all Virginians. Willis says, “freedom is only meaningful if it applies equally to all, and that’s where Virginia falls short.”

NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia believes there are still many Virginians, especially Virginia women, who are continually experiencing restricted freedom. Governor McDonnell, Lt. Governor Bolling, Attorney General Cuccinelli, and a majority of state legislators are completely anti-choice. Having a choice equates to having freedom; therefore, it makes sense that Virginia is only 22^nd in personal freedom. Governor McDonnell’s administration and their legislative allies have successfully passed numerous laws that prohibit a women’s freedom to full healthcare access.

In the 2010 legislative session, Virginia prohibited public funding for abortion for those women who are eligible for state medical assistance, except if the woman’s life is in danger or in the case of rape or incest. The 2011 session also provided an abundance of proposed anti-choice legislation. Two bills would have limited private insurance plans from providing abortion coverage (with the governor adding a last-minute amendment banning such coverage). Three separate bills would have given constitutional rights to a fetus at all stages of development. Additionally, one proposed bill would have meddled in the doctor-patient relationship by requiring that a pregnant female receive an ultrasound before she has an abortion.

Anti-choice lawmakers also singled out women’s healthcare for new restrictions.

On July 1^st, a bill passed through political maneuvering officially became law. This Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers (TRAP) law states that if a facility performs more than five first-trimester abortions a month it is now considered a hospital. Such regulations are politically-motivated and aim to restrict the freedom of women to comprehensive, reproductive health care.

An opinion piece in The Daily Progress entitled, “Freedom is in the eye of the beholder,” further discussed Virginia’s ranking and highlighted a specific quote from the authors of the study: “In our [the authors of the study] view, individuals should be allowed to dispose of their lives, liberties, and properties as they see fit, as long as they do not infringe on the rights of others.”

Out-of-touch Virginia elected officials continue to infringe on a woman’s right to choose complete, affordable healthcare. Thus, Virginia’s high ranking once again does not extend to Virginia women.

Though people and elected officials may have different ideals about what constitutes freedom, there is no denying that an increase in government regulation reduces an individual’s liberty.

With anti-choice politicians, the freedom of Virginia women is constantly in jeopardy.

Playing Politics with Women’s Health

Two months ago, at the request of anti-choice legislators Bob Marshall and Ralph Smith, Attorney General Cuccinelli issued a legal opinion stating the Virginia Board of Health has the power to impose stricter regulations on first-trimester abortion providers. Fast forward to the end of September: the Manassas City Council, rather than dealing with pressing city issues affecting residents, decided to pursue a purely ideological agenda and echoed Cuccinelli’s statement by passing a resolution calling on the Board to impose stricter regulations targeting first-trimester abortion providers. The lone dissenter was himself anti-choice, having only dissented because he believed the matter was for the state rather than the county.

Now fast forward to the present: Prince William County seems to be aping Manassas. The six Republican members of the Prince William County Board of County Supervisors officially endorsed Cuccinelli’s opinion, issuing a resolution requesting Governor McDonnell to direct the Board of Health and the Virginia Board of Medicine to impose stricter regulations on offices that perform first-trimester abortions. The two Democrat members of the Board of Supervisors did not dissent, but merely abstained from voting. To their credit, they rightfully pointed out Prince William County does not have a first-trimester abortion provider; Amethyst Health Center for Women is located in Manassas, which is independent of Prince William County. (Not that this is any comfort – Manassas is the reason Cuccinelli made his opinion in the first place.) Why is Prince William County trying to interfere with providers outside its jurisdiction?

The law is already on the books in Virginia that only a  physician licensed by the Board of Medicine can perform an abortion. As first-trimester abortion is an outpatient procedure, it is subject to a litany of regulations; the same regulations as other outpatient procedures, like colonoscopies, tonsillectomies, and cosmetic surgery, with comparable or greater risk of complications. (First-trimester abortions face even more regulations, actually, considering the 24 hour waiting period that follows mandatory biased “counseling”.) Second- and third-trimester abortions are already outside the scope of clinics; these are required by law to be performed in hospitals. Additionally, providers must adhere to many other regulatory guidelines. If first-trimester abortion is already regulated, then what is this new push for further restrictions about?

The bottom line is the attorney general (and his political compatriots, Marshall, Smith and Governor McDonnell), Manassas City Council and Prince William County Board of County Supervisors are playing politics with women’s health all under the guise of concern for safety. This Virginia woman is not fooled.

 

[Thanks to our intern Kripa for her work on this post.]

Board of Health meeting

Last Friday, October 15, the Virginia Board of Health met for the first time since A.G. Cuccinelli’s August opinion concerning increased regulation of abortion clinics.  The opinion called for the governor-appointed Board to impose more stringent regulations on first-trimester abortion providers–despite the fact they are already regulated by the Board of Medicine, the Board of Health Professionals and OSHA, among others.  Neither side of this hotly contested issue knew what to expect on Friday, but those hoping to hear new regulations proposed were disappointed—NARAL Virginia was in Richmond for the meeting, and not a single new restriction was mentioned while we were there.  We’ll be keeping an eye out to make sure there’s no action on this front in the future.

40 Days of Intolerance

September 22, 2010, marked the start of “40 Days for Life,” an international anti-abortion campaign designed to harass women and end access to abortion.  The self-proclaimed “community-based campaign that draws attention to the evil of abortion” has taken place six times since 2007 and involves participants from all 50 states, Canada, Northern Ireland, Denmark, England and Australia.

This manifestation of the campaign may end on Halloween, but that’s not what makes it scary.  The campaign has three components: “Prayer and fasting,” “Constant vigil,” and “Community outreach.”  “Constant vigil” is another phrase for intimidation tactics, with participants protesting outside abortion clinics, or “place[s] where children are aborted,” 24/7 for over a month.  The movement follows biblical tradition in its choice of 40 days—an attempt to justify hate through religion.

This movement is not entirely toothless either, despite its claims of peaceful dissent.  Its website has a “Record of Results,” chronicling five clinics closing, 35 clinic employees quitting, and over 2,000 pregnancies continued as a result of the campaigns.

Women should and do have the right to decide at any point not to choose abortion. However, women should not be harassed and intimated into carrying a pregnancy to term. Women should not be shamed or stigmatized for choosing safe and legal abortion.

Scaring employees and bankrupting clinics (the goal of the “40 Days” campaign) are not such harmless activities, particularly when Virginia’s state government is gearing up to do the same.  In Virginia, 86% of counties have no abortion provider. Now Attorney General Cuccinelli, Delegate Bob Marshall, Manassas City Council Member Mark Aveni (see page 121 of the document), Governor McDonnell and other anti-choice zealots are gearing up to end the practice of doctors brave enough to offer the procedure, returning Virginia to the backward era of illegal, dangerous, back-alley abortions that kill more women than they help.

“40 Days” is simply opening a new front in an ongoing war.  If the anti-choice movement wins, it will be through fear, not persuasion, and it will hurt women and health care providers alike.  Virginia is already losing doctors due to low Medicaid/Medicare reimbursement rates and a lack of debt relief for med school graduates.  If the state sticks its nose further into the medical community it will be even more difficult to get doctors to stay in the state, let alone move here.  Our country has been fighting for decades to increase access to health care. Now Cuccinelli and “40 Days” want to take away Virginians’ access to safe, legal, life-saving abortions.  This cannot happen.

Good news, however. “40 Days for Life” is not the only religious organization talking about abortion.  Faith Aloud describes itself: “As people of religious faith and conviction, Faith Aloud supports reproductive justice for every person. Because we have faith in women, we support ALL pregnancy options.”  They too have a forty-day campaign, with a very different goal. “40 Days for Prayer to Keep Abortion Safe and Legal” seeks to lessen the stigma surrounding abortion by celebrating the strength of those who provide and undergo abortions.  Visit their website to learn more.

We can’t let Faith Aloud do this admirable work alone.  During “40 Days for Life,” it is especially important for abortion providers to remember that you support them, too.  Send a letter, make a call, remind them that they are not alone, or join a “protest” to show your support for access to abortion services.  These providers risk their lives every day to ensure that women have access to the safe abortions they are entitled to under Roe v. Wade and the U. S. Constitution.  “40 Days for Life” wants to make providers’ lives even harder—don’t let them.

[Thanks to our intern Brett for her work on this post.]

A Worst Case Scenario: It Could Happen Here (Action Alert!)

Using lawn care standards to limit access to reproductive health care? They’ve done it before.

In recent years, anti-choice lawmakers in states such as South Carolina have used strategic laws to attack abortion providers and restrict women’s abortion access. These laws include everything from mandates that facilities have hallways wide enough for two gurneys to pass side-by-side (something not required of similar outpatient doctor’s offices) to regulations on the type of grass that can be out front of a clinic!

Now Virginia is poised to follow.

We can’t let the Cuccinelli-McDonnell anti-choice team close down abortion providers in our state. Call on the governor to oppose this move.

Last week, we told you that Virginia Attorney General Cuccinelli declared that the state’s Board of Health has the authority to impose strict and medically unnecessary regulations on abortion providers that could potentially force the majority of our state’s providers to close their doors.

Rather than standing up for women’s health, Governor McDonnell supports Cuccinelli’s position.

We must keep the pressure on the governor. So far, nearly 700 of you asked Governor McDonnell not to allow the Board of Health to issue the same kind of restrictions on abortion providers that the legislature has refused to approve for the past eight years.

Help us reach our goal of 1,000 emails by Friday. If you haven’t yet contacted the governor, please email him today to make your voice heard. If you have, forward this message to your friends and family.

A recent article in The Virginian-Pilot reported that the kinds of anti-choice restrictions on abortion providers called for by Cuccinelli are similar to the laws in states such as South Carolina.

After failing to pass these types of attacks on abortion providers through the General Assembly in the past, the McDonnell-Cuccinelli team is sidestepping the legislature and is pushing this anti-choice and anti-woman agenda through the state Board of Health.

The consequences could be serious. After the measure took place in South Carolina, several providers were forced to close their doors. In Virginia, 17 of our 21 providers could be forced to close, leaving women without access to reproductive care.

We need to keep the pressure up and let the governor and attorney general know that Virginians won’t stand for their use of the Board of Health to play politics with women’s rights and health.

For choice,

Tarina Keene
Executive Director

P.S.:  Support from our members is what allows us to fight back against this and other attacks on reproductive choice in Virginia. Please help us continue this work by making a contribution today. We can’t do it without you!