Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell and the Virginia State Legislature took a major step in the fight for life on Wednesday. According to the National Right to Life Committee, Governor McDonnell signed SB 484 into law. The new law will require clinics to provide an ultrasound before a woman can receive an abortion. According to a Wednesday press release by NRLC, women will be able to see real-time images of their unborn child. After receiving the ultrasound, a waiting time is required before an abortion can be performed.
Carol Tobias, President of National Right to Life, stated, “We commend Governor McDonnell and the dedicated men and women in the Virginia legislature for seeing this protective legislation enacted into law. We also applaud the Virginia Society for Human Life for making this law a top priority and their tireless efforts to protect and empower the women of Virginia.”
According to the NRLC, the final version of the bill, which was signed by Governor McDonnell, only requires a woman to receive an abdominal ultrasound. During the legislative debate, some opponents of the bill called the ultrasound procedure “invasive,” with some even referring to transvaginal ultrasounds as “rape.” According to the National Abortion Federation reports that ultrasounds are already commonly used by abortion clinics to determine an unborn child’s age. The new law would require the images of the unborn child to be shown to the mother. (Author’s note: You can read about a Pro-Choice Advocate who against calling ultrasounds “rape” here.)
National Right to Life Director of State Legislation, Mary Spaulding Balch, J.D., noted that “This basic information should be provided to women, but because a life-affirming choice takes business away from the abortionist, they will often hide all the facts of abortion and the child’s development from mothers.” Balch finished her statement by saying, “The truth is, the abortion industry is afraid to let women simply see the image of their own child.”
You can find out more about the National Right to Life Committee at NRLC.org.
