There is a new sheriff in town and his name is Terry McAuliffe. From NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia:
Gov. McAuliffe has just ordered a review of dangerous targeted regulations on Virginia’s women’s health centers! These burdensome regulations (also known as TRAP regulations) were designed to close the vast majority of abortion providers – and were enacted only after former Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli bullied the Board of Health. It is past time that these TRAP regulations get the evidence-based review they deserve – and Gov. McAuliffe has taken the first step!
At an event for National Women’s Health Week this morning, Gov. McAuliffe announced that his administration is:
- Instructing Virginia’s Board of Health to conduct an immediate review of the medically-irrelevant, burdensome, targeted regulations on abortion providers that they approved last year under pressure from Governor Bob McDonnell and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli
- Making five appointments to fill seats on the Board of Health
- Approving Planned Parenthood health centers to participate in a cost-reduced medication purchasing program that will enable them to provide affordable care to more Virginians
It’s about time to put an end to laws that do not make women’s health safer. The purpose of TRAP laws is to weave a web of regulations around abortion providers so that abortion simply becomes too expensive and too inaccessible. Good for Terry McAuliffe. He is doing what I voted for him to do. Of course this fight isn’t over. Not by a long shot! But it has started and that is what is important. Also, last I heard, there is a lawsuit filed by Rosemary and Wayne Codding. Hopefully that will blast a few people out of the water. I simply cannot stand disingenuous concern. The Virginia TRAP laws are based on ignorance.
