Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax was the final vote this Wednesday in the State Senate of Virginia on Bill 733.
These are the restrictions that have been lifted by Bill 733.
- A full, reasonable and comprehensible medical explanation of the nature, benefits, and risks of and alternatives to the proposed procedures or protocols to be followed in her particular case;
- An instruction that the woman may withdraw her consent at any time prior to the performance of the procedure;
- An offer for the woman to speak with the physician who is to perform the abortion so that he may answer any questions that the woman may have and provide further information concerning the procedures and protocols;
- A statement of the probable gestational age of the fetus at the time the abortion is to be performed and that fetal ultrasound imaging shall be performed prior to the abortion to confirm the gestational age
When Senate Bill 733 passed in Virginia on Wednesday repeals the requirement of an ultrasound test for the woman to be offered a chance to observe their child, in case that changes their mind on the abortion.
Another major concern for women who use these facilities for abortions is the feared decrease in standards for abortionists that may come with the passage of Bill 733.
The legislation is now in the hands of Virginia’s Governor Ralph Northam, who is presumed likely to pass the bill into law.
You might remember Governor Northam for his comments concerning infants that are born alive after attempted third-trimester abortions.
When we talk about third-trimester abortions, these are done with the consent of obviously the mother, with the consent of the physician — more than one physician, by the way — and it’s done in cases where there may be severe deformities. There may be a fetus that’s non-viable.
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.
Although Governor Norman has not outright suggested the execution of babies who survive abortion, he still appears to lay out a scenario where the death of a viable baby is optional.
