Blog for Choice | Virginia Lawmaker Calls Abortion a "Lifestyle Convenience"

Ted Miller is the director of communications and online advocacy strategies for NARAL Pro-Choice America

As anti-choice presidential candidates' supporters make offensive jokes about birth control and lawmakers in Congress refuse to allow a pro-choice woman to testify at hearings on contraception, lest we forget that this War on Women is unfolding in state legislatures as well.

Let's cross the Potomac River and address what is going in the Old Dominion.

Legislators in Virginia are advancing two egregious bills. One measure called "personhood" would ban abortion and common forms of contraception; the other would mandate that a woman seeking abortion care undergo an ultrasound, even if she doesn't ask for one or if her doctor doesn't recommend it.

The Los Angeles Times reported this about the debate on the "personhood" bill:

Thursday's debate included a notable comment from delegate Todd Gilbert about the decision to have an abortion.

"We hear the same song over there. The very tragic human notes that are often touched upon involve extreme examples," said Gilbert (R-Shenandoah). "But in the vast majority of these cases, these are matters of lifestyle convenience."

At those words, a murmur rippled through the House chamber, the Associated Press said.

The comment, [Tarina] Keene [of NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia] said in a phone interview, demonstrates the antiabortion lawmakers' views' of women's reproductive rights.

"It doesn't matter why a woman chooses to terminate her pregnancy," she said. "That's a very private and personal decision to make. For these legislators to make these sweeping allegations and judgments of women just goes to show that this is not just about women's health. It's about curtailing abortions and punishing women."

As you can see, NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia is on it, leading the fight in the media and channeling tons of calls and messages to the Virginia General Assembly.

If you're a Virginian or know any Virginians, please share this information from our affiliate.

9 Comments

By Larry on February 19, 2012 12:43 AM

I hope I'm not the only one who thinks that the right-wing propagandists sponsoring these bills just don't want women to enjoy sex? Have you noticed:
1) They defend usage of Viagra to treat ED?
2) Hardly any mention of rape, child molestation, or sex trafficking?
3) When there is a mention of such statistics, they always claim the "media" is demonizing it and try to order it to shut up?

By J. on February 19, 2012 1:38 PM

Sure. Like how Viagra is a lifestyle convenience. Except that's actually true. And conservative lawmakers always fail to mention the potential "convenience" of abortion for men, too - it is often perhaps even more "convenient" for them, judging from all the absent fathers whining about having to pay child support. But who cares about men's responsibility in reproduction, right? Let's just accuse the silly-headed women of being selfish and lazy!

All my best thoughts and support go to NARAL and other pro-woman legal groups that will likely have to lead the lawsuits if this legislation passes.

By Terri Smith on February 19, 2012 3:12 PM

I love how the come up with statistics to show that a very low number of abortions are due to rape, incest or knowing that your child has a deformity, but when a woman is getting abortion those questions are NEVER EVER asked. The doctor or clinic providing the abortion does NOT ask. Abortion is a very private and personal matter, mostly due to the hostility in the media toward women that chose to terminate a pregnancy. So where are they getting their figures from. You guessed it they pull them out of their hind quarter! I agree that they just seem to be trying to make it where women cannot enjoy sex, but they sure do want men to have sex whenever they want. They don't want us to access to birth control then they don't want us to have the option of abortion. They just want us sitting at home with our knees together, while our husbands cheat or we provide them pleasure in other ways, but we are denied intercourse.

By C. on February 19, 2012 8:02 PM

You know all those: "War on terrorism," and "people meeting these things... are terrorists"? If the attacks on women's health and the insistance of the government to prevent gay marraige isn't terrorism... Dictionary.com's definition of terrorism: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/terrorism
I'm just saying...

By Belinda Robertson on February 21, 2012 6:41 PM

HB1, HB62 and HB462 are now in the Senate Committee on Education and Health. Members of the committee are:
Chairman Stephen H Martin (R) - district11@senate.virginia.gov
Richard L Saslaw (D) - district35@senate.virginia.gov
L Louise Lucas (D) - district 18@senate.virginia.gov
Janet D Howell (D) - district32@senate.virginia.gov
... Stephen D Newman (R) - district23@senate.virginia.gov
Harry B Blevins (R) - district14@senate.virginia.gov
Mamie E Locke (D) - district02@senate.virginia.gov
George L Barker (D) - district39@senate.virginia.gov
Ralph S Northam (D) - district06@senate.virginia.gov
John C Miller (D) - district01@senate.virginia.gov
Ralph K Smith (R) - district19@senate.virginia.gov
Jeffrey L McWaters (R) - district08@senate.virginia.gov
Richard H Black (R) - district13@senate.virginia.gov
Charles W Carrico Sr (R) - district40@senate.virginia.gov
Thomas A Garrett (R) - district22@senate.virginia.gov

Please take a few minutes to email these committee members to express how you feel about the bills

By Belinda Robertson on February 21, 2012 6:41 PM

Please take a few minutes to email these committee members to express how you feel about the bills

By Liam Bobyak on February 29, 2012 7:36 PM

I would actually like to comment on the constitutionality of abortion. The Constitution actually supports abortion because of the language used to describe how someone becomes a citizen in the United States. according to the 14th Amendment:

1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

According to the constitution a person is only considered a citizen if they have been nationalized or have been born on US soil. since a fetus has, by definition, not been born it is not a citizen and so is not protected by US law. Also, if the mother is an American citizen her rights to life, liberty and property are to be protected which means that it is her liberty and her life that should determine whether she has the child or not and no US laws can meddle with that right since she is an American citizen and her unborn child is not.

The moral issues of whether abortion is right or not is a whole other issue and I will not be getting into it, but according to the United States constitution abortion is legal to anyone who chooses to utilize it and can neither be forced nor forbidden.

By UFC 147 on June 18, 2012 2:08 PM

I used to be able to find good info from your articles.

By Melodee on October 25, 2012 1:12 AM

Thanks for sharing your thoughts about Becky Holman.
Regards

Virginia Lawmaker Calls Abortion a "Lifestyle Convenience"

0 TrackBacks

9 Comments

Leave a comment