Monday, 20 Feb. at the
Virginia GENERAL Assembly
11am SILENT VIGIL: STAND
FOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS
2pm RALLY at the BELL
TOWER
--- WHAT BILLS ARE BEING
PROTESTED? ---
* HB 1: Grants fertilized eggs the
status of persons under Virginia law, subject only to the U.S.
Constitution and U.S. Supreme Court precedents. The wording of this
bill is also particularly dangerous as it has been purposely left
vague enough possibly deem not reporting miscarriages illegal,
abortion as murder, and lead to the criminalization of birth control.
* HB 261; HB 462; SB 279; SB 484:
Mandatory Ultrasound before Abortion (House)
* HB 62; If passed would withdraw
authorization for Medicaid funding for termination of pregnancy for
eligible women whose pregnancies have been found to be complicated by
serious fetal anomalies. The serious fetal anomalies could cause
suffering and psychological distress as these women consider the very
difficult decision to continue or terminate the pregnancy. It is
wrong to force economically-disadvantaged women to bear and care
for a child with severe and incapacitating birth defects simply
because they lack the financial resources or insurance to pay for an
abortion. State funding for pregnancy termination in these limited
circumstances demonstrates compassion toward women in distress.
(Adapted from VA ACOG Suggested Statement on H.B. 62)
* HB 1285; SB 637: Prohibits abortion
after 20 weeks gestation unless, in reasonable medical judgment, the
mother’s life is at risk or the mother is at risk of substantial
and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function.
* HB 464; SB 496: Creates the state’s
health care exchange under the federal Affordable Care Act but
prohibits the sale of insurance coverage for abortions, except when
the pregnancy endangers the mother’s life or is the result of rape
or incest.
(The info above is adapted from the
ACLU VA, visit VA ACLU for more information: https://acluva.org/category/bills/2012/?cats=46&tags=43 )
*VA TRAP Laws or Targeted Regulations
against Abortion Providers, are laws that require women’s health
centers to follow regulations that other, similar outpatient medical
facilities do not. These laws limit women’s access to abortions, by
either forcing some centers to close because they cannot meet the new
requirements, or by driving up the cost of abortion procedures so
much that some women can no longer afford them. (This was adapted
fromhttp://www.coalitionforwomenshealth.org/learn-more/trap-laws.shtml)
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