2008 reproductive rights report

Each year, Planned Parenthood publishes the Reproductive Rights Report to document Virginia legislators' votes on selected issues. You can use this report to get a general idea of how your legislators vote on reproductive rights. Please note that a legislator’s performance should not be judged solely on a few selected votes. Other factors to consider include public statements, performance in committees, legislation introduced, and constituent service.

session summary

In November of 2007 all 140 seats of the General Assembly were up for election. Although the House of Delegates remained under Republican control (53-R, 45-D, 2-I), the majority in the Senate shifted to the Democrats (21-D, 19-R). These changes did not have a significant impact on reproductive health legislation. Most of the anti-choice bills were introduced in the House of Delegates and passed without difficulty, although with slightly smaller margins than in previous sessions. In the Senate, the Education and Health committee retained a strong majority for reproductive health and consistently defeated anti-choice legislation.

In all, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia worked to defeat fourteen anti-choice bills and five budget amendments, including a budget amendment that would have prohibited Planned Parenthood from receiving state funds for prevention health care. The good news is that no new laws were enacted to limit access to reproductive health care.

Unfortunately, efforts to improve reproductive health in the commonwealth were also defeated. Planned Parenthood’s prevention agenda included three measures to protect access to birth control and strengthen guidelines for Family Life Education. Only one bill received a hearing and vote: SB 155 was debated on the Senate floor and narrowly defeated (18-Y, 22-N). In the House of Delegates, Republican leaders refused to bring any of Planned Parenthood’s prevention measures before their committees for a fair hearing and vote.

key legislative issues for the house of delegates

HB 894 Hospital Licensing Requirement for abortion providers (anti-choice measure), Patron: Delegate Matthew J. Lohr (R-26, Harrisonburg)
This bill would require any medical facility providing 25 or more abortions a year to comply with the regulatory requirements of an ambulatory surgery center. Abortion providers are already regulated under the Virginia Board of Health and comply with the same regulations as other medical offices. These additional regulations are intended to limit access to abortion care. HB 894 passed the House of Delegates (60-Y, 37-N), but failed in the Senate Education and Health committee (10-Y, 5-N).

HB 1315 Ultrasound Requirement (anti-choice measure), Patron: Delegate Kathy Byron (R-22, Lynchburg)
This bill would require that an ultrasound be performed at least 24 hours before providing an abortion as a component of state-mandated counseling. Leading medical organizations oppose procedure-specific requirements that interfere with the doctor-patient relationship or compromise a physician’s medical judgment as to what information or treatment is in the best interest of the patient. HB 1315 passed the House of Delegates (62-Y, 37-N), but failed in the Senate Education and Health committee (11-Y, 4-N).

HB 1556 Fetal Anesthesia Requirement (anti-choice measure), Patron: Delegate Benjamin L. Cline (R-24, Lexington)
This bill would require a doctor to provide information to a patient that a fetus at 20 gestational weeks has the physical structures necessary to feel pain and also make an offer to anesthetize the fetus before an abortion is performed as a component of state-mandated counseling. These statements are not supported by scientific evidence and providing experimental fetal analgesia/anesthesia puts women’s health at risk. HB 1556 passed the House of Delegates (68-Y, 31-N), but failed in the Senate Education and Health committee (10-Y, 5-N).

Budget Item 4-5.04#3h Medicaid Funding Restriction (anti-choice amendment), Delegate Robert G. Marshall (R-13, Manassas)
This budget amendment to the 2008-2010 Biennium Budget would have prohibited Medicaid funding for low-income women to receive medically-necessary abortion care when the woman's health is at risk or there are serious problems with her pregnancy. It allows Medicaid coverage for abortion care in only three circumstances: when the woman's life is at risk or the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest. Budget Item 4-5.04#3h was accepted by the House of Delegates (60-Y, 36-N). The amendment was stricken from the budget during House and Senate negotiations.

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archives

2007 reproductive rights report >>
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key legislative issues for the senate

HB1315 Ultrasound Requirement (anti-choice measure), Patron: Delegate Kathy Byron (R-22, Lynchburg)
This bill would require that an ultrasound be performed at least 24 hours before providing an abortion as a component of state-mandated counseling. Leading medical organizations oppose procedure-specific requirements that interfere with the doctor-patient relationship or compromise a physician’s medical judgment as to what information or treatment is in the best interest of the patient. HB 1315 passed the House of Delegates (62-Y, 37-N), but failed in the Senate Education and Health committee (11-Y, 4-N).

Budget Item 297 #7 and 297 #10s Abstinence-only Funding (anti-choice amendments), Patron: Senator Ken Cuccinelli (R-37, Fairfax) and Senator Emmett W. Hanger (R-24, Lexington)
This budget amendment to the 2008-2010 Biennium Budget would have reversed Governor Kaine’s decision to eliminate $275,098 of state funding for abstinence-only programs. Research shows that medically-accurate, age-appropriate sex education that includes information about abstinence as well as contraception is the best way to help teens protect themselves against unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. These amendments were both left in the Senate Finance committee Senator Cuccinelli brought his amendment up again during debate on the Senate floor and it was defeated (18-Y, 19-N).

Floor Amendment to House Budget Bill 30 Planned Parenthood Funding Restriction (anti-choice amendment), Patron: Senator Ken Cuccinelli (R-37, Fairfax)
This budget amendment to the 2008-2010 Biennium Budget would have prohibited Planned Parenthood from receiving state funding to provide prevention health care, including low-cost gynecological exams, cancer screenings, STI testing and treatment and birth control. The amendment was offered and accepted by the Senate (21-Y, 20-N). The amendment was stricken from the budget during House and Senate negotiations.

SB 155 Contraception in Family Life Education (pro-active measure), Patron: Senator Donald A. McEachin (D-9, Richmond)
This bill would have added FDA-approved methods of contraception to the section of state code governing Family Life Education. Currently, the Code of Virginia includes abstinence and disease prevention and excludes information about FDA-approved methods of contraception. SB 155 was reported from the Senate Education and Health committee (9-Y, 6-N) and failed on the Senate floor (18-Y, 22N). Delegate McClellan (D-71, Richmond) introduced a companion bill in the House of Delegates (HB 1403), but it was not brought before the House Education committee for a hearing and vote.

archives

2007 reproductive rights report >>   
2006 reproductive rights report >>