The Norfolk, Virginia based reproducive health and justice pioneer believes that proposed TRAP regulations will “compromise the confidentiality of patients as well as drastically limit access to abortion care.”
The Virginia governor fully supports the regulations, even though he hasn’t read them yet.
Not to be outdone by other misogynistic governors seeking to limit women’s rights throughout the country, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell issues that harshest and most medically-unnecessary regulations yet seen.
Using what is at best a highly unusual “emergency” process, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell is expected on Friday, August 26th to issue guidelines for what is known as Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers (TRAP).
The Virginia Department of Corrections (DOC) decided to strengthen and expand existing policies banning shackling of pregnant inmates during labor, delivery and post- recovery. The National Religious Campaign Against Torture applauds this step. However, the cruel and inhumane practice of shackling inmates who are in labor still occurs in some local and regional correctional facilities. Virginia should join the 13 states that have enacted legislation to prohibit this barbaric practice.
As a medical doctor and former Commissioner of Health under four governors, I have a good idea of how efforts by Governor Bob McDonnell to “regulate” abortion care will turn out. Medically-inappropriate and unnecessary regulations will only serve to restrict access to the full range of reproductive health care services and further marginalize young, low-income, uninsured and minority women by decreasing their health care options.
Virginia’s Governor continues to play politics with women’s health by amending HB 2434 to prohibit all insurance plans sold in Virginia under health reform from covering the cost of abortions.
Wisconsin library will show the anti-choice documentary, U.S. House committee passes bill preventing pre-tax dollars from being spend on abortion, ACLU sues Alabama prisons, and Virginia governor asks for abortion to be excluded from state insurance exchanges.
Reusing condoms due to lack of availability in Kenya, Governor McDonnell signs TRAP law in Virginia, North Dakota pushes abstinence-until-marriage, and looking at discrimination of transgendered persons.
On Feb. 4, the Virginia General Assembly’s House Militia, Police and Public Safety Committee defeated a bill that would have limited the use of restraints on pregnant inmates.
