Cuccinelli vs. Science: Women's Health

December 5, 2011

New state emergency regulations on abortion clinics are designed to force their closure by requiring them to be regulated as hospitals. The Richmond Times Dispatch reports, "some medical experts who advised state health officials on the development of the regulations suggest that political concerns, not safety problems, were behind the crackdown and are disappointed some of their key recommendations were not followed."

Progressive Point: Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has ignored medical experts in his quest to intervene in a woman's decision to terminate a pregnancy--a decision that is best left to a woman, her family and her faith. Cuccinelli's insistence on prioritizing his own partisan agenda over science ignores experts and fact-based medical evidence. Closing women's health clinics will not make women safer or healthier but will only limit or eliminate access to affordable comprehensive reproductive care. The Attorney General's office is tasked with ensuring justice is served to Virginia's families--not intruding into difficult and private medical decisions.

Get the Facts: Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is using his office to force ideological regulations on Virginia's abortion clinics that clearly go past the recommendations of the doctors and medical experts asked to advise the state on the matter.

• One doctor asked to give advice, who is also the chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Virginia, called the regulations "different, more stringent and more restrictive - and several of them, at least, unnecessary," and no longer wants his name associated with them.


• Despite recommendations from medical experts, Cuccinelli's office told the board writing the regulations that changing clinic building regulations to mirror those of hospitals, which would likely result in closure, was mandated by the state.


• The Richmond Times Dispatch reports, "the advisory panel also wanted to limit the regulations to clinics performing surgical abortions, exempting medical terminations of pregnancy... But again, the attorney general's office advised the board that state law makes no distinction between medical and surgical abortions so the board can't either.

Tweet it: Cuccinelli ignores medical experts while politicizing abortion clinic regulations http://bit.ly/s1Sm2x via @ProgressVA

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