Why SB 924 Isn’t So Grand
By Shaun Kenney | Saturday, February 26th, 2011 | PolicyI’ve argued that SB 924 — the bill that requires the 21 abortion clinics in Virginia to meet the same standards as outpatient care — may not be the victory we think it is. Why? Because abortion clinics will simply meet the high standards imposed, thus further entrenching the idea that abortion is safe, victimless, and clinical.
Naysayers suggest that the abortion industry cannot possibly fulfill these requirements. Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider, isn’t merely suggesting otherwise. They have already rebuilt their clinics to meet these requirements:
Anticipating that such legislation might pass eventually, Planned Parenthood in recent years remodeled four clinics in the state – in Richmond, Charlottesville, Roanoke and Virginia Beach – to fulfill those criteria.
Oops.
Mark my words. In five years, they may close a few clinics here and there. But the ones that meet the standards will be more efficient, more deadly, and have the added benefit of being “safe” places to perform abortions — aided by state regulations, of course.
Thus does the abortion industry entrench itself in our society. Nice work, lads.
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About the author
Shaun Kenney is the Chairman of the Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors, former Communications Director for the Republican Party of Virginia, and an active blogger since 2002. Shaun lives in Thomas Jefferson's backyard with his wife, six children, and a modest attempt at a farm in Kents Store, Virginia.
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23 Responses to "Why SB 924 Isn’t So Grand"
Your implication is that we should permit women to be in more danger than necessary to fulfill a longer range goal.
That’s too Machiavellian even for me
I must say that one thing I’ve noticed about Republicans is how defeatist they tend to be compared to Dems or at least leftists (these days they are the same). How does forcing abortion mills to raise standards (and costs!) serve as a defeat? I agree its only one step but combined with wiping out Federal and state funds for these places it will have a favorable effect. Whether you like it or not abortion is not going to be made illegal this generation for sure. Even knocking out Roe doesn’t prevent blue states from legalizing it. At least make the left pay for them.
The long term goal should be to end abortion, not make it illegal. Making it illegal doesn’t end it. In the meantime, I agree with Kirwin.
Kirwin —
Implication = putting words in people’s mouths.
Of course, since those who are in favor of regulating abortion clinics are merely entrenching abortion, I should take that as an implication that you are a pro-abort? Ridiculous.
Schoeneman –
There are a whole host of unfortunates that are illegal that do not end their practice.
Nevertheless we don’t shrug and legalize rape, theft, murder, etc. merely because we cannot end tragedy.
Valentinius –
Raising cost is a temporary move. Once the abortion clinics meet those goals — what then? It’s not that I generally disagree (thought let’s admit it — this has nothing to do with women’s health or safety, it has to do with closing abortion clinics), it’s that the measure is so shortsighted. What are we going to argue next? That the Planned Parenthood clinics that are meeting regulations pro-lifers demanded they meet are not good enough?
The objection to abortion clinics isn’t whether they are regulated or clinical. It’s what they *do*. As mentioned in the post, five years from now we’ll view this as a mistake… watch.
Shaun, take your meds.
Abortion is surgery and I am glad the abortion clinics have to rise to the same level of care as out patient surgery care of hospitals. This will greatly increase the health of the mother.
The unswerving ideals of the conservative Republican Party still call for an end to taxpayers paying for murder of babies.
Personally, as a Christian, murder of babies is murder of babies and it has to stop.
Just holding up the mirror (again)…
Shaun, you and I will go to our graves disagreeing on ‘choice’– but abortion AND the death penalty will still be legal when we’re both boots up. (Unless we change to Sharia or Biblical Law – then all bets are off!)
There have always been – and always will be – unwanted pregnancies; women in crisis have always found a way to terminate. I’m OK with being a lone voice here, but do wish for a day when we can move past this un-winnable, divisive issue and the GOP welcomes good conservative voices (that do not support criminalizing abortion) back into the rank and file.
As someone who had a friend who died from a botched abortion her senior year in high school (she was on my basketball team), I think this bill should be viewed for what it is. It will hopefully prevent someone who is pregnant and scared, who is otherwise healthy, beautiful, loving, smart, a cheerleader, athlete, friend to all — from dying on the floor of her bedroom from blood loss. Sure, there are bigger battles yet to win, but this shouldn’t be viewed as anything less than a victory on the way.
@Jay D –
No matter what your core beliefs, it strike everyone as barbaric that abortion is our society’s answer to unintended pregnancies.
That’s a particularly violent response to life, IMO.
@Sara –
As much as you or I would want to believe that this bill is what it is, everyone knows that the purpose and intent of the legislation is to close abortion clinics by imposing costs.
For pro-lifers to treat it as a benign effort at protecting women? That is disingenuous at best… and that’s not to say that I question your concerns for a heartbeat, but it is to say that your very reasonable concerns were never at the heart of this bill from the politicians’ POV.
I don’t disagree with you at all Shaun. So I’m supposed to be disappointed with a fairly desirable outcome, even though the intended result was something else?
I’m one of the group that believes abortions will be part of our landscape until technology comes up with a better solution. I know I shouldn’t use the word “technology”, but it’s for lack of better word at 11:34 at night. If the bill succeeded in closing all the current abortion clinics tomorrow, something else would take their place by next weekend.
I’m with the first three guys on this thread on this particular issue.
Shaun, abortion is barbaric… and tragic, and heart wrenching. But it’s been with us since the dawn of civilization. As has sex. We’ll have the first as long as the second is part of our nature. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could find reasonable, common ground between abortion on demand and criminal act? And wouldn’t it be nice if far-right evangelical politicians wouldn’t fight quite so hard against less-barbaric alternatives like the morning after pill? We all hate abortion. No one is PRO-abortion. Unfortunately, the yelling from the extreme right and the extreme left keep us from real progress in making abortion safe, but rare.
Shaun, check out that really cool bill put forth by a Georgia Republican last week. Is it too late for Corey or Bob to do it this General Assembly session? It’s just what Virginia’s gals need to keep ‘em behaving.
“Just holding up the mirror (again)…”
Shaun is yet another elected official who likes looking at himself and, as in this thread, listening to himself.
Why not propose legislation LOWERING standards for abortion clinics. By your logic, that would be “pro-life.”
Apples and oranges, Brian. Regulations only make abortion more deeply entrenched.
Shaun, how can it get any more deeply entrenched? Right now it’s a protected constitutional right. How is this going to make it worse?
At the very least, if abortions remain legal, they should be performed in the safest means possible for the mother, and that’s where laws like this come in.
As a standalone policy, this is important. As a pretext for shutting down abortion clinics, it may not be, but we shouldn’t be wasting time with pretexts anyway. As I said, you’re never going to make abortions go away if you spend all your energy trying to outlaw them. Making them illegal won’t make them go away.
It’s going to take education and the continued shift in societal values we’ve seen taking place over my lifetime towards life to do that.
While that change happens, and it will take a long time – this problem didn’t occur overnight – we shouldn’t put women’s lives at risk just because it makes our case better.
You can’t be in favor of life if you don’t care about the protecting the life of the mother too – and that’s what this bill does.
Shaun, not apples and oranges at all. Opposite sides of the same argument. If higher standards means more entrenched, then lower standards means less entrenched.
If higher standards is pro-abortion, then you must argue that lowering the bar on medical standards for abortion providers is a pro-life position.
Either that, or your logic is flawed.
Shaun: While you and I disagree on the underlying issue, I congratulate you for being one of the few people on the pro-life side who are honest about what the purpose of this bill was — to close abortion clinics and deny their services to women in Virginia.
It wasn’t motivated by any concerns for the health of women getting abortions. It would have been remarkable had it been, since many people on the pro-life side think that women seeking abortions belong in prison. It’s an attempt to reduce abortions by closing clinics.
I agree with you that it’s probably a failure on those terms.
Shaun,
The main problem with your argument is that it begs the question. Abortion is already regulated. I don’t see how more stringent regulation makes it any more entrenched than the current less stringent regulation. It also has the added benefit of protecting women. I hate the barbaric practice as much as you do, but I think any bill that makes it more difficult to get an abortion saves a life. Any bill that saves a life is ok by me.
It’s economics 101. The very reason I do not support government overregulation of the market is the reason I support this bill. Regulation kills (or at least damages) industry.
Steve, you fell for that?
If high medical standards close abortion clinics, WHY?
I’d be insulted by that.
I bet not a single clinic closes because of this and all the leftie whining is a big fake.
Remember all the horrible things that were promised if we passed the Marriage Amendment? The scare tactics of the social liberals never pan out.
Brian: I said I thought it would fail at closing clinics. But that was the intent. Which is what Shaun said.
Now, if we want to discuss the question of do abortion clinics need to be held to the same standard as hospitals, that’s different.
Those that perform only 1st trimester abortions probably need to be held to the same standards as “Doc in the box” clinics. That’s a pretty safe procedure, with only 1% leading to complications.
As to why the standards would close the clinics– which you, I and Shaun agree that they won’t — it would be because they require additional expense.
If the rightwing nutjobs spent half as much energy, time, and money on promoting adoption as they do (in their tiny little judgmental worlds) decrying abortion, we’d all be better off.
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