More than 1,000 people lined the Capitol grounds in Richmond Monday to silently protest a number of anti-abortion measures that have made their way through the House of Delegates and Senate this session.
These include the "personhood" bill that would define life as starting at the moment of conception, requiring women get an intrusive trans-vaginal ultrasound 24 hours before they get an abortion and taking away medicaid funding for abortions for unviable fetuses.
The protesters stood silently lining the walkway lawmakers use as they make their way from the General Assembly Building to the Capitol on a day when the House was expected to pass and send to the governor the Senate version of the fetal ultrasound measure.
The transvaginal ultrasound would be required even when the pregnancy is so early that an abortion would be performed with pills and other completely non-intrusive measures. So, it is a completely unnecessary procedure and would be the only law on the books that forces doctors to perform a medically unnecessary procedure.
Make sure you know what the law specifies before you defend it.
Posted by: Meredith | Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 01:51 PM
I believe the House is lost thanks to the sanctimonious bob marshall.
Join my promise to the Governor - NO votes for Republicans unless he vetoes it. http://amcit.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=850&action=edit
Posted by: Tess Ailshire | Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 10:20 AM
You have to have a trans-vaginal ultrasound prior to an abortion anyways so they can determine how far along you are to begin with so I dont see the harm in this. People who choose to have an abortion think if they dont see it then its not real well as an expectant mother I will tell you that they detected my daughter's heartbeat at 6 weeks so yes when you have an abortion you are MURDERING your child. There are so many adoption alternatives to abortion. Quit being selfish because of your irresponsibility to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. Oh and dont give me the excuse that being pregnant will put a financial strain on your life when adoption agencies and adoptive parents are willing to compensate you. It's time to stop whining about everything and learn some responsibility. Murder shouldn't be an alternative to irresponsible lifestyles. If you are not ready for a child then keeping your legs closed is the only way to 100% prevent a pregnancy. If your contraceptive fails then deal with it, that was a risk you knew could happen. Doesn't give you the right to kill an innocent child.
Posted by: Amber | Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 09:11 AM
LAST TIME I CHECKED THIS WS MY BODY AND NOT THE GOVERNMENTS....THAT MEANS IT MY CHOICE NOT THE GOVERNMENTS!!!!
Posted by: "D" | Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 09:05 AM
Abortion is murder, I am sorry you do not value life. but that child has a right to live. if you do not want to be pregent, then you should take responibility for not getting pregent in the 1st place. It is also not good emotionally on the mother either.
Posted by: Victoria | Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 12:22 AM
Jessica, what part of "unwanted" don't you understand? The assumption behind forcing women to get an unwanted ultrasound is that we are too stupid to make our own decision about terminating a pregnancy.
Posted by: Terisa | Monday, February 20, 2012 at 11:06 PM
Ummm...how is a trans-vaginal ultrasound more intrusive than the abortion itself? I mean where do you think they are going in to murder the child, your nose? Just remember that people can be charged with killing a pregnant woman and a second charge for her unbornchild but abortion isn't murder? And yes I am a woman...
Posted by: Jessica | Monday, February 20, 2012 at 08:32 PM
Where do you get your facts from? Because there were at least 1100 protesters that attended.
Posted by: Amanda Canda | Monday, February 20, 2012 at 07:15 PM