For the second day in a row, the Virginia House of Delegates yesterday delayed discussion of a controversial Senate bill which would require women to obtain trans-vaginal ultrasound imaging before having an abortion.
Senate Bill 484 passed the Senate 21-18 Feb. 1.
Del. Bob Marshall, R-Manassas, a supporter of the bill, said the postponement pattern is a result of Republican attempts to avoid controversy, especially in light of Gov. Bob McDonnell's position as a likely Republican vice presidential nominee.
"If [the bill] gets passed [by] one more day it can be reasonably concluded that some of the Republican leadership in the House and Senate think this is detrimental to McDonnell becoming the nominee for vice president," Marshall said.
Del. Charniele L. Herring, D-Alexandria, said the proposed bill violates women's constitutional rights.
"I think the point of the bill is to punish a woman for making a decision to exercise her constitutional right," Herring said.
Olivia Gans, president of the Virginia Society for Human Life, said the bill would ensure women have all of the information needed to make an informed decision.
"From our point of view, this bill is entirely pro-woman," Gans said.
Gans, a supporter of the bill, said pre-abortion ultrasound imaging has become a standard practice across the country. Virginia would join seven other states by adopting pre-abortion, trans-vaginal ultrasounds.
Sean Holihan, the advocacy and communications manager at NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia, said the bill is at best unnecessary and at worst an attempt to make abortions more difficult to obtain.
"This [bill] has nothing to do with the health of a woman or informed consent," Holihan said. "It is just another step to try to make it harder for a woman to try to get an abortion."
Herring proposed an alternative to SB 484 to make the ultrasound optional instead of mandatory, which would be considered once the Senate had decided to move forward with the bill.
Without these changes, Herring
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