Virginia Senate Panel Defeats Abortion Bans

A panel of Virginia Senate lawmakers voted down Republican-backed bills seeking to enact bans on abortion in the commonwealth Thursday, including a 15-week ban backed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

The Senate Education and Health Committee voted to defeat a bill making it unlawful for physicians to perform an abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy unless the life of the mother is at risk, or the pregnancy is as a result of rape or incest.

The committee also voted down a bill banning abortion unless the life of the mother is at risk, or if the gestational age of the unborn child is 20 weeks or less, and the cause of pregnancy is rape or incest with an “official police report” filed.

Another bill defeated by the committee would have limited abortions to the second trimester and sought to abolish lawful abortion during the third trimester, unless the life of the mother is at risk. Under existing Virginia law, the state allows abortion through the second trimester, and only allows third trimester abortions when three physicians agree a continuation of the pregnancy is likely to result in the death of the pregnant individual or “substantially and irremediably” harm their mental health.

Republican lawmakers and Youngkin voiced support for restrictions on abortions after 15-weeks with certain exceptions, contending the bill would cut off abortion at the point “when a baby can feel pain.” According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, “science conclusively establishes that a human fetus does not have the capacity to experience pain until after at least 24–25 weeks.”… (Excerpt from The Virginia Star)