RICHMOND, Va., Jan. 29 (UPI) -- Virginia Republicans scuttled a bill that would make pre-abortion transvaginal ultrasounds optional rather than required.
The measure, proposed by state Sen. Ralph Northam, D-Norfolk, was dismissed on a 8-3 vote Monday in the chamber's Education and Health Committee -- without any discussion or debate.
The committee chairman, Sen. Steve Martin, a Republican, said the matter had been debated already when minority Democrats introduced legislation to overturn the controversial law Republicans passed last year that forces women seeking an abortion to undergo the invasive procedure, which doctors have said is not medically relevant.
Angered, Northam called the committee a "kangaroo court," insisting the measure was due at least for discussion, The (Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot reported Tuesday.
