Virginia Health Commissioner Resigns In Protest Of Restrictive Abortion Clinic Regulations
Source: think progress
Virginia health commissioner Dr. Karen Remley resigned from her position on the states Board of Health today, citing Virginias restrictive regulations for abortion clinics as her primary reason for turning in her resignation.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that Remley believes she can no longer serve on the Board of Health in good faith because she does not agree with the new facility regulations, which require clinics to make costly, largely unnecessary updates that may force some of them to shut down:
In a letter to colleagues this afternoon, Remley writes that how specific sections of the Virginia Code pertaining to the development and enforcement of these regulations have been and continue to be interpreted has created an environment in which my ability to fulfill my duties is compromised and in good faith I can no longer serve in my role.
I have submitted my resignation from the position from State Health Commissioner effective today.
Last month, the states Board of Health voted to instate new regulations for abortion clinics amid reports that State Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli was essentially threatening them to approve them, warning that members of the Board could be denied state-funded legal services if they voted to relax the regulations.
Womens health advocates refer to the new laws as the Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers (TRAP), an indirect method of restricting womens access to legal abortions by over-regulating abortion providers that is also used to target Planned Parenthood clinics across the country. In a statement regarding Remleys resignation, the executive director of the advocacy group ProgressVA remarked, Its deplorable that the political machinations of Attorney General Cuccinelli and Governor McDonnell have compromised the ability of dedicated public servants like Commissioner Remley to promote the health of all Virginians. Its never been more clear that these regulations are designed to limit access to safe and legal first trimester abortion in the Commonwealth.
Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/10/18/1043541/virginia-health-commissioner-resigns/
Tx4obama
(36,974 posts)eringer
(460 posts)Wouldn't it be great if she ran against Cuccinelli and beat him badly.
iandhr
(6,852 posts)ehrnst
(32,640 posts)barnabas63
(1,214 posts)Shame to see someone good quit, but she probably knows what she's doing....
DavidL
(384 posts)would acually want to do something productive with her life and career.
There's no use for anyone to keep hitting their head against the wall.
alp227
(32,025 posts)Were the abortion clinic absurd regulations passed by the state legislature and signed into law and thus can't be overturned by the health dept?
We People
(619 posts)I fully understand and respect her decision, but her departure opens the possibility of being replaced by a right-winger, since that's under control of Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell. That's the one problem with resignations of this type, depending on who's in power to do the replacing.
Sophiegirl
(2,338 posts)And have been watching this closely. It is unbelievable what the GOP leadership is trying to do here. Doesn't surprise me. After all, these are the same guys that passed the vaginal probe requirement.
Maybe before having intercourse, men should be subjected to a very thorough prostate exam.
Angry Dragon
(36,693 posts)dembotoz
(16,805 posts)Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)who will do as he's told
0rganism
(23,954 posts)if they allow rw crazies like McDonnell and Cuccinelli to run their state, they will face predictable, undesirable outcomes. but the people have to want sane government, and be resolute enough to keep trying if their first few attempts fail to unseat the republicans.
the malaise of 2010 cost us all, dearly.