With the nation’s eyes on the state, the Virginia House of Delegates passed a weaker version of the controversial abortion bill that would no longer require women to have an invasive ultrasound prior to an abortion.
The amended measure would require all women having an abortion to have an abdominal ultrasound, and if the age of the fetus could not be determined that way, the women would have the option of getting a vaginal ultrasound. You can read the amendment here.
The Senate still has to vote on the House version of the bill, and The Richmond Times Dispatch reports that the fate of it is unclear at this point.
The bills sponsor, Sen. Jill Holtzman Vogel, R-Fauquier, was announcing plans to kill it, citing feedback from constituents and doctors.
Via RTD:
"There are moments when you are a legislator when you have to stop and you have to have a moment of real conscience," Vogel said. "I sort of had that moment this morning considering the outcome and the fate of this bill."
The state received harsh criticism nationwide for the original bill, prompting pro-life Governor Bob McDonnell to reconsider his once seemingly firm position in favor of the bill.
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Earlier in the week, he announced he was reconsidering his position, saying he wasn’t initially aware of just how invasive the ultrasounds would be.
It seems that both the left and the right are pleased that the bill doesn’t stand a chance of being passed in its original form.
A blogger for Too Conservative, a Virginia political blog, wrote:
“Personally I am a pro-life person. I’ve never asked anyone to have an abortion on my behalf and I think abortions are horrible. But I am not a woman and I respect their rights to handle their own reproductive issues. Mandating an ultrasound probe to be inserted prior to having a gut wrenching procedure is a ridiculous over-reach of government in my opinion.”
* Former Bloomingdale ABC commissioner John Scarlatti dropped out of the race for the Ward 5 council seat, which was left open when Harry Thomas Jr. resigned, Loose Lips reports.
Scarlatti said he thinks he had a strong chance of winning the seat, but decided he did not have the time to commit to be an effective council member.
The special election is scheduled for May 15.
* The Washington Post posted this animated video—the first in a 12 part biographical series about former Mayor Adrian Feint produced by activist Sinclair Skinner. Enjoy!
* And we're back to abortion...
The Maryland Catholic Conference argued Wednesday that Maryland should not use ‘Obama care’ to expand elective abortion coverage.
According to the Post, Maryland is one of the states working most aggressively to implement Obama care. It is still unclear whether abortion will be covered.
