"Virginia Gov. McDonnell (R) just forced state health board to shut down ALL abortion clinics!" (Daily Kos 2012)
FRI SEP 14, 2012 AT 06:34 PM PDT
Rachel Maddow just reported on this. Under pressure from Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell (R) and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R), the state Board of Health reversed their prior ruling and applied a new trap law designed to shut down every single abortion clinic in the entire state.
Under pressure from Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, the Virginia Board of Health voted on Friday to pass a set of building regulations that could force many abortion clinics in the state to shut down.
Opponents of the regulations, which include minimum hallway widths, specific ventilation systems and covered entrances, argue that they are medically unnecessary and meant for the construction of new hospitals — not as regulations for existing outpatient abortion clinics. None of the 20 clinics in the state that are applying for a new license currently meet the requirements, and in order to come into compliance in the allotted two-year time period they would have to undergo costly, extensive renovations.
The board voted to pass the regulations in June along with an amendment that would have grandfathered in existing clinics. But Cuccinelli refused to certify the version the board passed and told members that adopting such an amendment was outside their scope of power. He said the legislation that directed the board to regulate abortion clinics as hospitals, sponsored by Del. Kathy Byron (R-Lynchburg), did not intend for existing clinics to be exempt. The legislation called for the board to pass regulations on building specifics.
More from the Washington Post.
This is the anti-choicers’ new MO - instead of attacking Roe v. Wade, they gut health care funding and shut down clinics by any means possible.
Many of the abortion providers in Virginia also offer other general and reproductive health care services, including some who also offer a sliding fee scale for those who can’t afford regularly-priced health care. Is Virginia equipped to deal with the demand for these crucial services if they shut the clinics down? I doubt it.
There’s still time. If McDonnell and Cuccinelli (both Republican cis men - where have I heard that before?) both sign off on the regulations, there will still be a public comment period before the board votes next year.
Virginians, you know what to do.
