Cuccinelli's conservative crusades and political campaigns

July 30, 2012

The Washington Post editorializes, "Ken Cuccinelli II, the most overtly partisan attorney general in Virginia's history, has waged war on Obamacare, harassed climate-change scientists, sanctioned discrimination against homosexuals and embraced Arizona's (now mostly gutted) immigration law. He has clung to his post after declaring his candidacy for governor, thereby parting ways with past attorneys general, Republicans and Democrats alike, who resigned to run rather than entangle the office in politics. Now, true to this record, Mr. Cuccinelli (R) has given a boost to the crusade to limit abortion rights, a cause he championed for years as a legislator: He refused to certify draft regulations governing abortion clinics, which had been watered down by the state Board of Health last month."

Progressive Point: Politicians like Ken Cuccinelli have no place interfering in private health care decisions or using their elected positions to wage personal political crusades. Respected medical professionals have been clear that regulations designed to close women's health centers have nothing to do with patient safety. It's outrageous that any Virginia leader would prioritize their politics above our families' health. Ken Cuccinelli is substituting his extreme ideology for the judgment of medical experts.

We all want to live in a country where our mothers, sisters, and daughters are valued and respected. But unable to overturn women's constitutional protections, a right-wing minority led by Cuccinelli is trying to eliminate women's health clinics and regulate safe abortion access out of existence. The people of Virginia need an Attorney General that works as hard as we do, but Cuccinelli's only interests are his conservative crusades and political campaigns.

Get the Facts:

• Ken Cuccinelli refused to certify regulations adopted by the Virginia Board of Health because they grandfathered in existing clinics from regulations intended to force all women's health clinics to close. (Richmond Times-Dispatch, July 17, 2012)


• The recent legislation, signed by Gov. McDonnell, singles out women's health centers that provide abortions and forces them to comply with hospital standards. No other outpatient clinic in Virginia, including those performing oral and cosmetic surgery, are forced to adhere to these standards. The underlying purpose is to force clinic closure through requiring unaffordable construction. (Washington Post, July 27, 2012)


• In addition to family planning services, Virginia's women's health clinics provide life-saving cancer screenings and health care services like STD screenings. (ProgressVA, June 14, 2012)

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