From the Virginia Catholic Conference:
The VA Board of Health has voted 13-2 in favor of permanent safety regulations that restore the structural standards on abortion clinics that had been removed in June.
More as it comes in… big win for Cuccinelli and women today.
UPDATE: More from CBS 19 in Charlottesville:
The board voted 13-2 Friday to enact the regulations, including a hotly contested provision that requires Virginia’s 20 existing abortion clinics to meet the same architectural standards as new hospitals. Several opponents chanted “shame” as they left the room.
In June, the board voted to exempt existing clinics from the tough building standards. Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli declared that the board overstepped its authority. He refused to certify the regulations, putting them back before the board for Friday’s reconsideration.
The chanted “shame” on a board protecting women?
Way to tear down the curtain between pro-“choice” and pro-abortion, fellas. Shame on the two dissenting votes for not doing the right thing.
The sad part about this? Even with the new regulations, babies will still die. Mothers will still be pressured into doing the unthinkable. More abortions will be piled onto the 55 million already committed in the United States.
…and Planned Parenthood will continue to grow rich.
UPDATE x2: Statement from Brian Gottstein with the Office of the Attorney General:
RICHMOND (September 14, 2012) — Attribute to Brian Gottstein, director of communication:
The attorney general’s office will make the determination on the legal certification of the Board of Health abortion clinic regulations adopted today after the proposed regulations have been transmitted to our office and reviewed. However, we have no timeline for doing so. It will not be today.
Whatever the decision, it will be determined solely on a legal basis — as was the decision on the prior version of the regulations — not on the basis of whether or not we agree with the policy. Certification will be based solely on whether or not the regulations created by the board are in compliance with the law the General Assembly passed in 2011, as well as with any other applicable laws.
Additionally, there have been news stories that the attorney general might not have represented individual Board of Health members if they were to be sued as individuals over the regulations they approved, if the regulations did not follow the attorney general’s legal advice to keep them within the bounds of the law that the General Assembly passed.
The law on qualified immunity for members of state boards provides certain parameters as to when those board members are and aren’t entitled to have representation by the state. Where the law leaves him discretion, the attorney general indicated several days ago in an interview with the Richmond Times-Dispatch that his personal position is to provide representation.
He believes in encouraging citizens to serve on boards and commissions, and to do that effectively, he feels strongly that those appointed to state boards should be entitled to representation by the state if they are sued while serving in that capacity.
(emphasis original)
Wait — the pro-aborts are threatening to sue the appointed Board of Health members??
Not entirely surprising. Still, it shows the lengths to which these abortion clinics will go to protect their very lucrative business.
