Will Governor McDonnell listen?

By Staff

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell is not known for looking out for the best interests of all Virginians.

In little over a year he has

• rejected valuable funding that would help our youth make lifelong, healthy decisions
• restricted the ability of low-income women to access vital abortion care
• prevented women from using their own money for insurance plans that cover abortion

He is now set to approve the most restrictive abortion regulations in the entire country.

But can he ignore 40,000 voices?

Yesterday, members of the Virginia Coalition to Protect Women’s Health, of which NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia is a member, met with the governor’s policy staff to present over 40,000 signatures from Virginia and around the country. (Read the Coalition’s press statement. PDF)

The message was clear to the governor: Reject these new regulations as dangerous for Virginia women.

Will he listen to over 40,000 people and stop pursuing this single-minded political agenda and do what is right for Virginia women?

We may know soon.

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.

Pro-choice candidates will help stop an extreme agenda

By: Staff

Yesterday, The Washington Post released their list of endorsed candidates for the Virginia state Senate races.

We were pleased to see that many of The Post’s candidates were also on NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia PAC’s list of endorsed pro-choice candidates:

• Delegate Adam Ebbin- Senate District 30
• Barbara Favola- Senate District 31
• Senator Janet Howell- Senate District 32
• Senator Mark Herring- Senate District 33
• Senator Richard Saslaw- Senate District 35
• Senator Toddy Puller- Senate District 36
• Senator Dave Marsden- Senate District 37
• Senator George Barker- Senate District 39

We are also incredibly pleased to agree with The Post’s endorsement of Shawn Mitchell for a new Senate seat (District 31) in Loudoun County. Not only is Shawn Mitchell 100-percent pro-choice, but he would present an additional, much-needed pro-choice vote in the state Senate – a vote that would help stop the anti-choice agenda of Governor Bob McDonnell and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli.

The November 8 election in Virginia for all 140 General Assembly seats is one of the most important in decades for choice.

Be sure to see NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia PAC’s list of endorsed candidates and get involved in your area!

Paid for by NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia. Not authorized by a candidate or candidate campaign.

Pro-choice champions under attack

By: Staff

Just over a month away from the November 8 statewide election in Virginia, anti-choice politicians and groups are pulling out all the stops. Their ultimate goal – to take over the General Assembly and pursue an aggressive campaign to undermine women’s health.

In Senate District 17 in Fredericksburg, long-time pro-choice champion Edd Houck is facing anti-choice challenger Bryce Reeves.

Senator Houck, who has served in the state Senate since 1984, is the chair of the Senate Committee on Education and Health – the committee where bills dealing with reproductive choice end up in the Virginia Senate. Senator Houck is 100-percent pro-choice and has stood up to all manner of attacks on women’s health throughout the years.

Unfortunately, anti-choice groups are doing everything they can to unseat this champion for women’s health.

NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia and NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia PAC are working tirelessly in the coming weeks to protect and elect politicians that will stand up for women, rather than sacrificing women’s health for politics. For a full list of NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia PAC’s endorsed candidates, visit our endorsement page.

Make sure you register to vote or update you registration through the State Board of Elections.

Polls are open from 6 AM to 7 PM across the state on Tuesday, November 8. Be sure to head to the polls and cast your vote for General Assembly members who will stand up for the women of Virginia.

For more information, be sure to visit our Political Updates page.

To get involved in electing pro-choice champions, contact info@naralva.org

Paid for by NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia. Not authorized by a candidate or candidate campaign.

Celebrating the Summer of Choice

By Autumn Reinhardt Simpson

I really do have to hand it to my husband. He’s suffered through so much just to make me happy. He’s tagged along to death row, opened our house to unknown Japanese protesters and supported me in all my endeavors, however foreign to him. This past weekend found him accompanying me to Germantown, Maryland for the inaugural Summer of Choice hosted by Abortionclinics.org.

Summer of Choice is a direct answer to confrontational anti-abortion rights group Operation Rescue, which has focused on Dr. Le Roy Carhart for its “Summer of Mercy 2.0,” the next generation of mass harassing tactics intended to shut down targeted reproductive health centers for good. Dr. Carhart’s Germantown clinic decided to close for the week, rather than have his patients walk the gauntlet.

Sunday, July 31^st was the Kick-Off Walk, which was attended by approximately 200 supporters of women’s health from across the country. In attendance were students, grandparents, politicians and people of all stripes. My husband, ever the good sport, allowed himself to be slathered in pro-choice and feminist stickers (as well as copious amounts of sunscreen) and took to the streets with us. We walked a route of about one mile around Dr. Carhart’s clinic, waving signs and getting lots of honks and shouts of support. The police presence was strong and very respectful (interesting observation – nearly all the Montgomery County officers I saw during this event were women! Right on, Montgomery County!)

The anti-choice crowd decided to hold their event at 6 PM, long after many of the pro-choice crowd left to attend a poetry reading at a local church. However, there was one anti-choice person in a dark blue shirt sporting the phrase “pro-life” walking along the route, videotaping us and making sarcastic comments. Luckily, this was all we saw of the anti-choice side for that day. But their presence could be felt in other ways. Part of our hot and sticky route took us past a sign for a local “crisis pregnancy center,” a grim irony that was not lost on us. After posing for photos, we quickly moved on, eager for shade and water.

The beauty of an event such as the Kick-Off Walk was that it not only raised money for the Abortion Access Fund, but that it brought many people together who were not aware of the opportunities for action to be found in their own backyards. I met a man from Richmond, VA who was interested in joining my clinic defense team and another walker put the idea in my head to look into training to become a victim’s advocate. For “lone defenders” like myself, such gatherings are as source of knowledge and energy.

The Kick-Off Walk was great and the rest of the week has been filled with activities and chances to show support to Dr. Carhart and other providers. This weekend, others will gather for continued peaceful pro-choice presence. At a time when state legislatures are persistently undermining women’s access to healthcare, it is so important that we stand with the brave providers who face harassment and threats of violence every day. So grab a friend or two and go stand for choice this weekend.

Senator Dave Marsden, D-Fairfax

Welcome back to our new, regular blog series, Virginia Political Pro(choice)files. In this segment, we highlight Virginia’s state politicians who support and fight for women’s reproductive rights while also drawing attention to politicians who are working to undermine the constitutional right to safe and legal abortion. To see how all General Assembly members stacked up in 2011, check out our Legislative Scorecard!

The Political Pro(choice)files: Senator Dave Marsden, D-Fairfax

By Brooke

Senator Dave Marsden is represents Senate District 37, which contains parts of Fairfax County. In addition to his great work on the issue of youth gangs, he has been a constant supporter of women’s health since his election in 2010.

He has supported reproductive choice in Virginia as both a delegate and a state senator.

Senator Marsden worked as the head of the state Department of Juvenile Justice before taking a seat in the Virginia Senate. He is a strong supporter of the best interests of Virginia women, children and families. During this past General Assembly session, he voiced his support for women’s health when he spoke out on the Senate floor against a bill that proposed to regulate abortion providers as a category of hospital. In his inspired speech, Marsden declared:

“In my lifetime there was a constitutional right to vote, but we put obstacles here in Virginia and all throughout Southern states to put an obstacle to people exercising that constitutional right to vote: Poll taxes, literacy tests, of course the argument was well of course we don’t want people voting on that which they don’t understand… I think you need to be careful here how we vote on this and what we’re identifying with…”

This comparison is striking: placing unnecessary barriers in front of citizens attempting to exercise constitutional rights could have dangerous consequences for future generations. The fact is, TRAP laws (Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers) are limiting the constitutional rights of Virginia women.

Because of his solid stance on reproductive choice issues, NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia awarded Senator Marsden a pro-choice rating of 100 percent for the 2011 legislative session. The support of Senator Marsden and other pro-choice allies in the Virginia General Assembly is absolutely crucial. There is a war on women in our state and across the country, and we must maintain our pro-choice champions in Richmond to fight back and protect women’s healthcare.

For more voter information, check out the Virginia State Board of Elections website. Regardless of where you live, all Virginia voters should remember that the general election will be held on November 8^th.

Senator Ralph Northam, D-Norfolk

Welcome back to our new, regular blog series, Virginia Political Pro(choice)files. In this segment, we highlight Virginia’s state politicians who support and fight for women’s reproductive rights while also drawing attention to politicians who are working to undermine the constitutional right to safe and legal abortion. To see how all General Assembly members stacked up in 2011, check out our Legislative Scorecard!

The Political Pro(choice)files: Senator Ralph Northam, D-Norfolk

As a representative for Norfolk in the Virginia General Assembly, Ralph Northam has been an ally of women and a great advocate for comprehensive sexual education throughout his four years in office. He was first elected in 2007 and will be running in a very competitive election this November.

Ralph Northam was one of three Virginia state senators involved in proposing legislation in 2010 to reign in the bad habits of Crisis Pregnancy Centers

Northam, along with Senator Craig Deeds, Senator John Edwards, and Senator Dave Marsden, proposed a bill to regulate Virginia’s Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs)—regulations that would include a notice on the buildings stating that the facilities are not licensed, comprehensive healthcare centers. This bill went on to require that the facility include in the posted notice that it does not perform or refer women for abortions or contraception and that the facility is not required to adhere to confidentiality laws in accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

As a pediatric neurologist, Northam knows that providing misleading and inaccurate medical information to women is dangerous and inappropriate. Women need to know that many CPCs have no obligation to respect their privacy.

Senator Northam, along with Delegates Charniele Herring and David Englin, participated in a press conference following the release of our research project exposing CPCs and showed nothing but support for women in need of accurate information in the midst of a difficult decision:

It is extremely important that these young women are able to seek medical advice that is in their best interest of their health … it’s important for women that seek advice from these centers to know what they offer and what they don’t offer and that’s exactly what this bill is intended to do. The bill, I think, will insure that expectant women will receive what I consider factual-based medical information and be able to make decisions that are in the best interest of their health.

The proposed bill also included a section prohibiting any CPC in violation of the prior regulations from receiving any funds derived from the Virginia Choose Life Fund license plates.

Although the bill was passed by indefinitely, it was successful in bringing some much needed attention to the issues surrounding CPCs.

In the last session of the General Assembly, Senator Northam also patroned SB 967, a bill that requires Virginia school districts to teach medically accurate and evidence-based programs that fall under the guidelines of Family Life Education. Although this bill passed in the Senate, it was unfortunately “left to die” in the House Committee on Education.

Clearly, Northam has shown that he is a strong supporter of women’s rights and his medical background gives him a solid perspective in regards to bills that involve women’s health.

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.

Senator Edward Houck

Welcome back to our new, regular blog series, Virginia Political Pro(choice)files. In this segment, we highlight Virginia’s state politicians who support and fight for women’s reproductive rights while also drawing attention to politicians who are working to undermine the constitutional right to safe and legal abortion. To see how all General Assembly members stacked up in 2011, check out our Legislative Scorecard!

Political Pro(Choice)files: Edward Houck

By Brooke

As a politician with more than 25 years in office and with a solid pro-choice voting record, Senator Edward (Edd) Houck is a man who has faced numerous attacks for his commitment to reproductive rights and women’s health.

In February of this year, extremists opposed to a woman’s complete healthcare access even went so far as to accuse Senator Houck of “furthering the sex-slave industry” by a radical anti-choice blog because of his support for Planned Parenthood (which just so happens to provide healthcare and family planning services, often to people who could not afford them otherwise). While the subject of abortion is often inflammatory, Senator Houck has gotten more flack for his standing up for women’s health than many other pro-choiceVirginia legislators due to his position as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education and Health. With this position, Senator Houck votes on virtually every choice-related bill that is introduced into the state Senate.

In the 2011 session, an admittedly tough year for pro-choice advocates, NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia gave Senator Houck a score of 100 percent for his perfect record of supporting choice. Senator Houck plays a pivotal role in protectingVirginia’s women by leading the Education and Health Committee to defeat restrictive, politically-motivated and dangerous anti-choice bills before they can be taken to a vote by the full Senate.

In 2010, when a bill meant to limit state funding of abortions in facilities receiving state funding was introduced to the Senate, Houck made it clear that he believed it was dangerous to reproductive health. In the midst of the debate, Houck responded to those pushing for passage: “When you try to tease out what [this bill] means, you get to UVA medical system, and that might mean a woman who comes in with medical condition and is pregnant, you would not be able to do an abortion in that regard, possibly putting her at jeopardy.” It is this kind of commitment to women’s health that makes Edd Houck a consistent, committed champion forVirginia women. He looks past misleading arguments made by anti-choice legislators and attempts to protect women’s health.

In the 2011 session, after two Senate Democrats voted with Republicans to pass legislation requiring any facility performing more than five first-trimester abortions per month to live up to the same regulations as hospitals, Houck spoke out publically,  calling it a “terrible tragedy.”

Senator Houck remains a dedicated and tireless champion for women’s continued access to vital healthcare inVirginia.

It is important that we maintain such pro-choice champions in our General Assembly this November, to continue to protect reproductive choice in the Commonwealth.

For more voter information, check out the Virginia State Board of Elections website. Regardless of your residence, all Virginia voters should remember that the statewide general election will be held on November 8^th.

The Dangers of Putting Politics before Women’s Health

By Brooke

Inevitably, the polarizing nature of the abortion debate has the potential to harm women seeking basic gynecological services. This is currently the case in Hampton Roads, Virginia as health department officials struggle to make a decision on the licensing of new operating rooms at a Planned Parenthood health center.

As the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, a proposal from the Hampton Roads affiliate of Planned Parenthood would offer outpatient surgical services to poor women. The proposed operating rooms are intended to treat various gynecological issues from pelvic pain to breast biopsies.

Planned Parenthood is arguing the proposal has nothing to do with abortion, while anti-choice leaders maintain that Planned Parenthood is “a business and their business is abortion.”

However, Dr. Robert A. Rashti, former chief executive officer of the Hampton Roads Planned Parenthood affiliate and neurosurgeon, reports that only about six percent of their services involve abortions.

Mitchell Miller, former president of the Medical Society of Virginia spoke out in support of Planned Parenthood’s application: “There are times when the needs of patients, especially those not blessed with full financial reserves, must transcend the political arena. This is one of those times.”

The national movement towards TRAP (Targeted Restrictions of Abortion Providers) regulations shows how far anti-choice legislators are willing to go to manipulate conversations of basic healthcare for women. The ultimate goal of such campaigns? To end access to safe, legal abortion.