A legislator in Virginia recently introduced a bill that removes the need for minors to attain parental consent or judicial authorization to obtain an abortion, according to the Daily Wire.
Senate Bill 21, which was introduced by Senator Dick Saslaw (D-Va.), states there would no longer be a requirement to have parental consent to have an abortion for minors in its summary. The bill further states:
“The bill removes the requirement that a pregnant woman seeking to obtain an abortion undergo a fetal transabdominal ultrasound prior to obtaining an abortion at least 24 hours prior to obtaining an abortion, or at least two hours prior to obtaining an abortion if the pregnant woman lives at least 100 miles from the facility where the abortion is to be performed. The bill also removes language classifying facilities that perform five or more first-trimester abortions per month as hospitals for the purpose of complying with regulations establishing minimum standards for hospitals,” according to the Daily Wire.
The amended and re-enacted bill, which was pre-filed on Nov. 18, will be offered on Jan. 8, 2020, according to the bill.
Saslaw was chosen by Virginia Senate Democrats to become their next majority leader.
This came following a legislature proposed by Kathy Tran (D-Va.) back in January 2019, who proposed “The Repeal Act,” introduced as HB2491, which would remove all restrictions regarding abortions in the state, the Daily Wire reported.
“The bill eliminates the requirement that two other physicians certify that a third trimester abortion is necessary to prevent the woman’s death or impairment of her mental or physical health, as well as the need to find that any such impairment to the woman’s health would be substantial and irremediable. The bill also removes language classifying facilities that perform five or more first-trimester abortions per month as hospitals for the purpose of complying with regulations establishing minimum standards for hospitals,” the bill Tran proposed, according to the Daily Wire.
The bill Tran proposed would allow for abortions to be performed up to the time of birth, according to the bill.
According to CBS News, many Democrat leaders also supported the bill, including Virginia Governor Ralph Northam (D-Va.), whose comments on abortion prompted a swift backlash. Regarding Tran’s proposed bill, Northam said, “If a mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen. The infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated, if that’s what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother.”
