The Virginia Senate passed two anti-abortion bills Tuesday that would aim to squelch women’s rights in the state by implementing one of the nation’s strictest anti-abortion laws. The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is urging LGBT allies and activists to speak out against the pending legislation which will inevitably affect LGBT families and prospective parents because in vitro fertilization is a path to parenthood for many.
The “Personhood Bill,” sponsored by Republican Del. Bob Marshall, “provides unborn children at every stage of development enjoy all the rights, privileges, and immunities available to other persons, citizens, and residents of the Commonwealth.” A second bill would require all women to undergo an ultrasound before opting for abortion.
“HRC strongly opposes any legislation aimed at restricting women’s control over their bodies. The acts of the Virginia legislature yesterday threaten to criminalize doctors and clinics that provide in vitro fertilization services, because many embryos are never successfully implanted and are later destroyed,” said HRC president Joe Solmonese.
The measures would also outlaw many contraceptives in the state.
“Many types of birth control could be unobtainable if the bill passes. This means that lesbians, bisexual women, and transgender men may no longer have access to effective methods of addressing health problems ranging from abnormal menstrual cycles to rare blood diseases,” said Solmonese.
The measure passed with a 22-18 vote following an earlier approval by the state’s House of Delegates, and Gov. Robert McDonnell says he plans to sign the legislation into state law.
“The broader effect of this insidious legislation is to regulate private sexual conduct by imposing one segment of the population’s moral views upon everyone. A win on this bill would likely embolden efforts to control other aspects of Americans’ private sexual conduct – especially for the LGBT community,” said Solmonese.
The Virginia Senate passed a similar bill on Feb. 10 that would allow private adoption agencies to deny the placement of children based on moral or religious convicts, including the right to deny placement to LGBT families in the state.
