From Huffington Post:
There are 22 facilities that provide first-trimester abortions in Virginia, and all of them may have to close their doors over the next two years if they can’t meet the state government’s rigorous new health clinic regulations.
Virginia lawmakers passed legislation in the spring that required the Department of Health to release a set of “emergency” draft regulations for abortion clinics that were to go into effect by December 31.
The rules, released late on Friday, borrow a number of very specific physical plant requirements from a rulebook intended for the construction of new hospitals. For instance, a clinic must have 5-foot-wide hallways, 8-foot-wide areas outside of procedure rooms, specific numbers of toilets and types of sinks and all the latest requirements for air circulation flow and electrical wiring.
“On the first read, it seems hard to imagine that many facilities will be able to comply,” Jordan Goldberg, state advocacy counsel for the Center for Reproductive Rights, told HuffPost. “We can fairly say that the regulations as drafted are the most severe, onerous and restrictive that have been proposed anywhere. They’re intended to apply to facilities that don’t yet exist.”
If the Board of Health passes the new standards on September 15, abortion clinics have until January to show the state a plan for the extensive and expensive renovations they’ll have to undergo in order to meet the new requirements.
The new regulations are especially onerous and are in place to make abortion unattainable because no provider can meet the standards of the new hospital regulations. Unfortunately, this entire assault is very disingenuous. If the anti-abortion crew or the state of Virginia really cared about the health of women (and men too, for that matter) they would impose the same standards on other outpatient medical centers that offer invasive dental, cosmetic, optical and digestive procedures. These non-abortion outpatient centers currently don’t face similar state oversight, yet they often involve very invasive medical techniques.
Perhaps all outpatient surgery/invasive procedure centers need an upgrade. If that is the case, let’s level the playing field and put the same standards in place for all. Otherwise, let’s just be honest and say the purpose of the bill to make it impossible to perform first trimester abortions in Virginia. Let’s admit that in reality a minority wanted to impose its will on the majority. It didn’t have the votes to outlaw abortion so it tricked foolish lawmakers into this insidious sneak attack to make abortion simply unattainable in Virginia.
This really was a cowardly vote. However, Virginians were warned last election. I guess they will have to live with it or travel outside of the state if they need services.
Well, you can always go to Florida! Heck, they’ll do abortions right into the third trimester, and leave the baby gasping for breath in a janitor’s closet on a shelf!
You can always find back alley abortions which is what you just described. That is what those who have fought for abortion rights want to avoid.
If you note, Roe v Wade spells out very clearly the law.
And for the record, I don’t want or need an abortion.
Just thought I would clarify.
This is an outrageous attack on legal clinics.
What about dental surgery? I was in a daze and a haze after having had two wisdom teeth chiseled out.
Pathetic! Remember we have a bunch of MALE law makers. Last time I checked they still weren’t able to carry and deliver a child.
I’m with Puchak, I had three wisdom teeth out at once. I don’t remember a darn thing, until hours after oral surgery. Yes, surgery. So why aren’t they subject to these regulations? Talk about a double standard to further their agenda.
The real intent has nothing to do with protecting women???? That’s the only answer I know, Lafayette.
It is all a ruse. I cannot believe that Senator Colgan would side with this. It really was a cowardly move on the part of all who voted for this absurd bill.
I want to see who does the honorable thing and insist that all outpatient surgery/procedure centers have the same uber regulations. Otherwise they are all just liars.
I find it interesting that people that supported the government telling Applebee’s and Ruby Tuesday that they couldn’t have smokers unless they retrofitted their restaurants are suddenly up in arms that a clinic is being asked to upgrade their facility…..
I know. I’ll be told “it’s not the same thing”. Except for the fact that it’s the government telling us what we can and cannot do.
My sister went into shock at an allergist’s office. Are these offices going to be retrofitted as well? We know this isn’t really about women’s safety but is about control. How many other medical facilities are state lawmakers examining? None?
marin, I don’t know anyone who wants Applebees and Ruby Tuesdays retrofitted. I have always maintained that it is up to the store owner whether to allow smoking or not, so I don’t know what people you are talking about.
You can set out the bait but you have treed the wrong raccoon on that one.
The retrofitting that needs to take place is these clinics is far more invasive than what is required of restaurants.
Using regulations to achieve a goal – even a laudable one – is wrong. While I appreciate that in the end less abortions may occur I think regulation is the wrong way to go about it.
I think we should leave it up to the voters. Put it up to them and ask the voters directly if we want to limit abortions to those that are medically neccessary.
But, my point still is that a government that is large enough to craft regulations that can dismantle industries and impede civil liberties needs to be made smaller.
A govt the size of City of Manassas could do that.
Abortion needs regulation to some degree. I have no problem with Roe v Wade. Perhaps in 30 years there needs to be some time line tweaking because of technology, but the main idea is right.
Why do we need regulation on a deeply personal matter? There is always some miserable bastard who will take advantage of the situation and a person’s sense of desperation.
Much regulation is done to standardize things, regardless of issue.
I would not have a problem with voters deciding. However, who would decide when and for how long etc.?
The Commonwealth has a long standing commitment to the Min-Maxi building code. that means a developer can build the same building in Galax they build in Gainesville. this is wholly the result of the builder/developer’s lobby regardless if Galax wants to add additional life safety features due to less resources to deal with a building emergency.
the building code has essentially two components – those to keep the building from falling down and those to keep a fire from ravaging the next door neighbors.
i seem to recall from the old days when the building code changed existing occupants did not have to bring the structure up to code unless they were renovating and the cost was more than 1/2 of the original structure.
if this is still true then this is a violation for VA State Wide Building Code. i best we can get bob marshall to sue VA because we know that he’s totally into less regulation and totally against “illegal” regulations.
all buildings used to be covered under the ‘grandfather clause”
this is not about safety – this it totally about lessening a woman’s health care choices.
b
Its all about whittling away at abortion rights through any means conceivable, pun indended.
I don’t think this law will win in the end. Either regulate everyone or no one.
“Why do we need regulation on a deeply personal matter?”
Guns are a personal matter. But, for some odd reason I’d be a felon if I went onto the grounds of a K-12 school with a pistol in my belt.
“I have no problem with Roe v Wade.”
Roe v. Wave is not impacted by Virginia’s decision to regulate facilities.
“I would not have a problem with voters deciding. However, who would decide when and for how long etc.?”
The procedure already exists at the General Assembly level. They would pass a bill authorizing a statewide referendum on a topic and how it would be spelled out on the ballot.
But, politicians don’t really want to do that because it’s better for the electorate to keep at each others throats on wedge issues than to have us vote on something and settle it.
Guns aren’t personal like abortion is. Guns are personal like turquoise necklaces are personal. I own both.
You don’t need to take a gun on school property. How does school personnel know who are the good guys and who are the bad guys? They don’t. So don’t do it.
“Roe v. Wade is not impacted by Virginia’s decision to regulate facilities.” It should impact it and that is the problem. I am not a constitutional scholar or lawyer but I am not sure what they have done is constitutional. If first trimester abortion is between a woman and her doctor then this is state intrustion and violation.
This new law is extremist and puts an undo burden on women which most certainly is one of the tests.
For the life of me, I do not understand people who want the government out of their business and yet they think this is a place for government intervention. I will never reconcile this in my mind.
I don’t think the government has any business even having a say in whether a woman gets an abortion or not. As long as the medical practice meets normal medical standards….the State of Virginia needs to mind its own effen business.
Marin, do you feel you have the right to bring a gun on a plane?
I don’t feel that any of our rights are without some limitations.
“Guns aren’t personal like abortion is. Guns are personal like turquoise necklaces are personal. I own both.”
And that’s where you lose. You have no problem throwing one civil liberty in the gutter but fighting for another. They should be equal.
“You don’t need to take a gun on school property.”
I guess women don’t need to get pregnant. See how silly that statement is.
“How does school personnel know who are the good guys and who are the bad guys?”
My guess is their training should reflect that all people are considered hostile and armed unless proven otherwise.
“So don’t do it.”
Of course I won’t. I’m law abiding. However, I don’t expect criminals to obey those laws.
“If first trimester abortion is between a woman and her doctor then this is state intrustion and violation.”
Abortion is not impacted. There is no constitutional issue here. What’s being regulated is the facility that provides the service. For example; do you think a gun store can be next to a school? How about a sex shop next to a daycare? Those are also regulations and so far constitutional.
“This new law is extremist…”
If a county/state law can be set up to say that a sound barrier needs to be installed at a gun range or that I can’t build a big box retailer in the rural crescent how can the state not regulate the facility where medical procedures take place? Just trying to understand where the consistency is.
“For the life of me, I do not understand people who want the government out of their business and yet they think this is a place for government intervention. I will never reconcile this in my mind.”
See your first statement in #14.
“I don’t think the government has any business even having a say in whether a woman gets an abortion or not.”
Very libertarian of you.. Just wish it wasn’t only on one special interest and instead you thought of all civil liberties such.
I believe you have a right to own a gun but I also believe that that right is not without limits.
I also believe that a woman has a right to have an abortion but that right is not without limits.
I am fairly consistent here.
I believe guns are objects, like turquoise necklaces. I don’t believe they are personal.
Abortion is impacted if no clinic can pass muster which involves becoming a hospital. I will leave the technicalities up to those who have studied the law.
Marin,you are trying to argue apples and oranges. I am resisting the urge to make a comment about guns being personal. I am glad I have self control because I really want to say something very naughty.
so…..how much do you think you would have to pay the school secretary to get the training to differentiate between you and someone who came to school with malice in their heart?
There is no need for you to pack heat on school property other than you want to prove a point.
Apples and oranges indeed! We’re talking about women’s personal bodies and their health decisions.
Maybe we should regulate gun shops more closely….perhaps have only one or two in the state. Have them set up in such a way that no one could inspect a weapon without meeting certain regulations. Would gun owners like to travel quite a distance to buy their weapon of choice? How about making them hole up in a hotel room for an extra night so that they can consider their decision to buy a weapon. Make them watch a few bloody videos and read the stats on how many children are killed by guns found around the house. Then after they’ve considered their choice, they can go back to the store and buy their gun.
Censored, thank you for making my point.
How many gun stores in Prince William County? Northern Virginia? Have you seen the Special Use Permit requirements?
How about that 1 month waiting period for buying a second pistol?
So the government knows it can’t ‘stop’ people from owning guns but they sure can make it hard.. How many gun stores are in Washington DC?
I didn’t pick guns because they it’s something I like (they are) but to show how hypocritical many people on here are about “rights”. If you “agree” with that right then it’s something worthy of protection. If you don’t then it’s something that can be squashed and abused.
“I believe guns are objects, like turquoise necklaces. I don’t believe they are personal. ”
This is odd to me as in the abortion debate a fetus is treated not as a person but as a thing.
“Marin,you are trying to argue apples and oranges. I am resisting the urge to make a comment about guns being personal. I am glad I have self control because I really want to say something very naughty.”
This hole is designated for exit only.
“so…..how much do you think you would have to pay the school secretary to get the training to differentiate between you and someone who came to school with malice in their heart?”
How does that secretary do that now? What stops a firearm from getting into that school? What happens when he goes home? When he’s at the mall? How did that no-guns policy help at VT? Again, the law stops me because I accept the law and have something to lose. What about for a person that doesn’t respect the law or has nothing to lose? What stops them?
“I don’t think the government has any business even having a say in whether a woman gets an abortion or not.” and “I also believe that a woman has a right to have an abortion but that right is not without limits.”
They either DO have business in it or they don’t. If they do then is this not a “reasonable regulation”? That’s something we can debate on – is it a reasonable regulation based on what we allow and expect from government.
“There is no need for you to pack heat on school property other than you want to prove a point.”
Or to protect my life.
Here are some basic facts. If a woman has to have a D&C due to a miscarriage, she will have that procedure done IN the doctors office, but guess what, that SAME procedure used for an abortion is now illegal? Bullshit, this is not about womens health, this is about ideology. The same procedure simply has a social judgement. One is the “fault” of the woman, there other is the “fault” of nature, but outcome is the same and so is the basic procedure.
Once again, no woman WANTS an abortion, for various reason, she has made this choice to due her own personal circumstances.
A gun is an object. Stop trying to equate gun ownership with human reproduction. You cannot use the same arguments.
No one has told you that you cannot own a gun. There are restrictions. You cannot carry a gun on school property. Get over it. I am glad you cannot do this. You will find that no right is absolute. Do you fear that you will be attacked by a bunch of middle school kids or what.
Let’s turn this back to abortion rights please. If you want to discuss gun rights, let’s take it to the open thread. When all gun shops in Virginia close, then you can bitch here. Meanwhile, have your wife and/or co-worker buy that extra pistol.
When abortion is inaccessible, 2 things happen. There is greater incidence of back alley abortion and therefore life-threatening injuries to women. The other side affect of inaccessible abortion is a higher incidence of 2nd or 3rd trimester abortion that is not for medical necessity. To most people, this is undesirable.
You are the admin and I’m your guest. I will comply with your regulation.
Thank you. Feel free to state your case on the open thread. Or…..read your email.
Washington post:
Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) said he has not read the draft regulations for abortion clinics, released late Friday, but that the intent of the proposal is to look after women’s health, not to close the facilities.
If Gov. McDonnell believes this, he is simply full of crap. If he doesn’t really believe it then he is a liar.
All or nothing….make all outpatient facilities go to hospital status or none of them.
Hypocrites!!!
It is critical that those who oppose this draconian state influence over legal abortion in Virginia send their concerns to Commissioner Remley at the State Health Dept.
[email protected]
I’ve said it here and I’ve said it elsewhere–this is not about health, this is primarily about religion. We, the electorate, have allowed the nose of religion poke under the tent of politics to the point that some churches now think they have the right to dictated how legislators will carry out their business.
As to writing to Commissioner Remley, I must ask, “Why?”. It seems to me this is attempting to bar the barn door after the horse has been stolen. The Board is in the pocket of the governor and even if you could turn their head, it might mean that the legislature would write the rules. Do we want that? Do you really want the likes of Bob Marshall wr iting the regulations? Hasn’t he and his ilk already done enough?
Now this issue must be put before the courts. Now is the time to be urging NARAL, and Planned Parenthood to take on the state in the courts. I know the argument is that they are afraid Roe v. Wade will be overturned, but it is being overturned one state at a time as it is. This is like cutting the puppy’s tail off one inch at a time in order to dock his tail.
@George, I do not disagree with you. On the other hand, if people like you do not express your opinion, then who will know that you object. I think you ought to holler your opinion from the roof top. The minority is ruling the majority.
I have sent my letter.
Have been working with NARAL, VLPP and ACLU on just that.