The Virginia General Assembly passed the controversial informed-consent abortion bill last week making abortion clinics responsible for educating patients.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. J. Randy Forbes (R-Chesapeake), will require doctors who perform abortions to give women information about abortion procedures and risks at least 24 hours prior to surgery.
The bill passed 24-16 in the Senate last week and is expected to be signed into law by Gov. James S. Gilmore III (R).
"This bill is about information," Forbes said. "Every woman must have the information to make an informed decision."
According to Forbes, the main goal of the bill is to provide abortion information to women who might not ordinarily receive the proper attention at busy abortion clinics.
As mandated in the bill, doctors also must inform women about alternatives to abortion, such as adoption, family planning and stress management.
The Virginia Senate heard testimonies from women who did not meet with the doctor performing the abortion until after they had received the sedative and were preparing for the procedure, Forbes said.
Forbes also said women who receive information from doctors prior to the procedure are able to make an "informed decision" and are less likely to experience emotional or psychological stress after the procedure.
Opponents of the new bill criticize the new regulations because they said they believe doctors will be accountable for counseling the women, which many clinics feel should not be the responsibility of the physician.
"This is a terrible bill, it will dumb down counseling," said David Nova, president of Planned Parenthood of the Blue Ridge.
At Planned Parenthood clinics where abortions are performed, such as the one in Charlottesville, women who wish to have an abortion must be counseled by either a minister or a licensed professional.
Nova said he is worried that under the new law, women who come into the clinics will be counseled only by doctors, who are extremely busy and sometimes perform 20 procedures a week.
"If counseling is done well, it lasts about four or five times longer than the procedure," Nova said.
This is difficult for physicians to do because of their time constraints, he said.
"Women decide whether or not they will have an abortion based on more of a moral decision rather than a medical decision," Nova said. "That is why we think ministers and licensed counselors provide better counseling."
But the bill is aimed at giving all Virginia women the facts about the proceedure before receiving an abortion.
Only 4 percent of women who receive abortions in Virginia are getting accurate facts from their doctors, Forbes said.
He added that women can also get information over the phone prior to the procedure.
The bill will become law Oct. 1.
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