Say It Ain't So Already

VA Gov. Bob McDonnell Gives a Little Bit (But Not Much) on Ultrasound Rape Bill

February 22, 2012 at 4:48 PM 2 comments

The media is reporting that Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell (R) has “backtracked” on the ultrasound rape bill he and his religious fanatic friends tried to sneak through the legislature there.

Here the a statement he issued today, which again, the media is referring to as “backtracking.”  (Note the parts I’ve bolded.)  Would you call this “backtracking?”

Statement of Governor Bob McDonnell on SB 484

RICHMOND - Governor Bob McDonnell issued the following statement today regarding SB 484, a bill before the General Assembly that would require an ultrasound prior to an abortion being performed.

“I am pro-life. I believe deeply in the sanctity of innocent human life and believe governments have a duty to protect human life. The more our society embraces a culture of life for all people, the better country we will have. Over the course of my 20-year career in elected office, I have been glad to play a leading role in putting in place common-sense policies that protect and defend innocent human life in the Commonwealth. One of those bills was Virginia’s informed consent statute, of which I was the chief patron in the House of Delegates, finally seeing its passage in 2001. This session, the General Assembly is now considering amending this informed consent statute to include a requirement that any woman seeking an abortion receive an ultrasound in order to establish the gestational age for appropriate medical purposes, and to offer a woman the opportunity to voluntarily review that ultrasound prior to giving her legal informed consent to abortion.

Over the past days I have discussed the specific language of the proposed legislation with other governors, physicians, attorneys, legislators, advocacy groups, and citizens. It is apparent that several amendments to the proposed legislation are needed to address various medical and legal issues which have arisen. It is clear that in the majority of cases, a routine external, transabdominal ultrasound is sufficient to meet the bill’s stated purpose, that is, to determine gestational age. I have come to understand that the medical practice and standard of care currently guide physicians to use other procedures to find the gestational age of the child, when abdominal ultrasounds cannot do so. Determining gestational age is essential for legal reasons, to know the trimester of the pregnancy in order to comply with the law, and for medical reasons as well.

Thus, having looked at the current proposal, I believe there is no need to direct by statute that further invasive ultrasound procedures be done. Mandating an invasive procedure in order to give informed consent is not a proper role for the state. No person should be directed to undergo an invasive procedure by the state, without their consent, as a precondition to another medical procedure.

For this reason, I have recommended to the General Assembly a series of amendments to this bill. I am requesting that the General Assembly amend this bill to explicitly state that no woman in Virginia will have to undergo a transvaginal ultrasound involuntarily. I am asking the General Assembly to state in this legislation that only a transabdominal, or external, ultrasound will be required to satisfy the requirements to determine gestational age. Should a doctor determine that another form of ultrasound may be necessary to provide the necessary images and information that will be an issue for the doctor and the patient. The government will have no role in that medical decision.

So yes, Governor McDonald is “backtracking” on “mandating an invasive procedure” but he isn’t “backtracking” on mandating procedures, i.e., he is “asking” the General Assembly to change the legislation to state that “only a transabdominal, or external, ultrasound will be required…”  In other words, the Governor is still putting the government into the exam room and between a woman and her doctor.

The government shouldn’t require a woman (or a man or a child) to have any procedures.  Period.

Entry filed under: Republicans, Including Wingers & "Moderates", Sexism, WingNutO'Sphere. Tags: .