RICHMOND, Va., Feb. 1 (UPI) -- The Virginia Senate Wednesday passed a bill requiring women to have ultrasound examinations before they can abort a pregnancy.
The 21-18 vote was largely along party, lines with two Democrats who oppose abortion rights voting with 19 Republicans, The Washington Post reported. One Republican voted against it and one Democrat was absent.
The Republican-controlled House of Delegates is expected to approve the measure in the coming weeks and Republican Gov. Robert F. McDonnell has said he would sign it into law, the newspaper said.
Other anti-abortion legislation also is expected come up for votes in the Virginia Legislature, including outlawing the procedure after 20 weeks of pregnancy, requiring insurers that cover abortion to also offer policies that do not cover the procedure, and giving rights to a fertilized egg at the moment of conception. A bill that would end state subsidies for poor women to abort fetuses with serious birth defects is to be taken up in the House of Delegates Thursday, the Post said.
A House of Delegates committee voted 12-9 Tuesday to stop funding abortions in cases in which doctors believe fetuses "would be born with a gross and totally incapacitating physical deformity or mental deficiency," The (Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot reported.
The ultrasound measure would require women be given an opportunity to view the images. They could refuse, but they would have to sign a statement to that effect and an abortion provider would be required to keep a printed copy of the image in the patient's file along with the statement.
Women who live within 100 miles of their provider would have to wait at least 24 hours before having an abortion, while those living further away would have a 2-hour wait.
The sponsor of the ultrasound bill, Sen. Jill Holtzman Vogel. a Republican, describes ultrasounds as a safety measure for women because they show how advanced pregnancies are. Sen. Ralph Northam, a Democrat who is also a doctor, wanted to amend the bill to make ultrasounds optional, arguing a woman should not be forced to get one "against her will."
Six states have similar ultrasound laws, the non-profit Guttmacher Institute says.
Virginia was billed $2,800 in 2011 for 10 abortions. In 2010, the state paid less than $15,000 for 23 abortions, The Virginian-Pilot said.
