Democrats start effort to loosen abortion laws in Virginia
RICHMOND Virginia Democrats on Wednesday began to dismantle abortion restrictions erected by Republicans over the past decade, pushing an omnibus bill to the House floor on a 12-to-9 party-line vote.
The bill would expand the categories of health professionals who can perform abortions, remove requirements for ultrasounds and waiting periods and eliminate rules that made some clinics ineligible to perform the procedure.
Having advanced gun-control bills and passed the Equal Rights Amendment in the past week, Democrats turned their attention to abortion on the 47th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legalized the procedure nationwide.
With control of the governors mansion and both legislative chambers for the first time in 26 years, Democratic lawmakers expect to be able to roll back numerous abortion restrictions, including a requirement that clinics performing more than a few abortions per month meet hospital-level standards for their buildings.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/democrats-start-effort-to-loosen-abortion-laws-in-virginia/2020/01/22/62ad4ba8-3d28-11ea-b90d-5652806c3b3a_story.html