McDonnell Should Keep Government Out of Women's Private Medical Decisions

October 14, 2011

Earlier this year, the General Assembly passed politically-motivated legislation requiring clinics that perform first-trimester abortions to be regulated as hospitals, singling out these providers among all those that provide outpatient procedures. The regulations recently approved by the Board of Health are the strictest in the country and would likely shut down the majority of Virginia's clinics. On Thursday, Congressmen Moran and Connolly signed a petition from the Virginia Coalition to Protect Women's Health asking Governor Bob McDonnell to reject these burdensome and medically unnecessary regulations. Tomorrow (Saturday, the 15th) the Coalition will host a rally in Richmond asking Governor McDonnell to stop the War on Women.

The Progressive Point: The choice to terminate a pregnancy is a difficult decision that should be between a woman, her family, and her faith, not controlled by government bureaucrats. Government should not be involved in medical decisions between a woman and her doctor. Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive health care is an unnecessary governmental intrusion in personal privacy and health care decisions by government bureaucrats who want to tell women what they can do with their bodies. Governor McDonnell must reject these burdensome regulations that restrict access beyond any other state in the nation and attempt to take medical decisions out of the hands of women to pass them over to government bureaucrats.

Tweet it: Gov. McDonnell must keep gov't out of women's private medical decisions http://bit.ly/o5uCqK via @ProgressVA

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Get the Facts from the VA Coalition to Protect Women's Health:

Laws that target only abortion providers have nothing to do with the safe delivery of services for women and everything to do with legislators' efforts to restrict access to reproductive healthcare. Placing regulations on women's health centers is a political strategy embraced by anti-choice groups as a way to prevent access to abortion services. Here's how it works: Regulations drafted by the Department of Health include architectural and procedural requirements that have no proven medical benefit to patients and are unnecessary for ensuring continued safety of first-trimester abortion services. Women in Virginia could lose access to providers because of burdensome and far-reaching regulations that have nothing to do with women's health and safety. 

Women's health centers in Virginia already follow state and federal safety regulations. The high standard of care provided by women's health centers in the Commonwealth is proven by their impressive safety record. Abortion is one of the safest medical procedures. Of women who have first-trimester abortions, 97% report no complications at all.[1] Women's health centers are already subject to the same regulations as other physicians' offices and facilities providing services like dentistry and oral surgery, and colonoscopies.

Women's health care centers are gateways to well-woman care. Many women's health care centers provide comprehensive care, including life-saving cancer screenings, gynecological exams, family planning, prenatal care and sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment. During a recession when women need more access to affordable health care, we're only seeing politics as usual from Virginia's anti-choice Governor McDonnell. These regulations threaten the long-term availability of Virginia health centers--centers that are primary care providers for many uninsured and underinsured women during tough economic times.

Take Action: Attend the October 15th rally in Richmond to end the War on Women. RSVP TODAY.