Gov. Bob McDonnell, R-Va., might be swaying in his commitment to sign a bill requiring ultrasounds before abortions, and Planned Parenthood hopes he’ll withdraw his support altogether.
McDonnell, who previously committed to signing the bill, now only promises to “review” the state law when it passes through the Virginia legislature. “If the General Assembly passes this bill the governor will review it, in its final form, at that time,” Tucker Martin, a spokesman for the governor, said in a statement to The Washington Post. McDonnell said last month that he would sign the ultrasound bill.
Planned Parenthood regards the governor’s changing rhetoric as a cause for optimism. “Something is happening,” Jessica Honke, a lobbyist for local Planned Parenthood affiliates, also told the Washington Post. “It’s important for [McDonnell] to take a long, hard look before he actually does this.”
Slate’s Dahlia Lithwick compared ultrasounds to rape in her criticism of the Virginia legislation, although Hotair’s Tina Korbe counters that “not all ultrasounds are transvaginal [and] rape carries consequences an ultrasound just flat-out doesn’t.” Also, the bill contains an opt-out provision whereby a woman who does not want an ultrasound of any kind can sign a waiver.
McDonnell, a potential vice presidential candidate if Mitt Romney wins the nomination, may well want to avoid an enduring abortion issue controversy.
Conservatives in the state legislature still expect McDonnell to sign the ultrasound bill. “The governor is strongly pro-life, and I think he would hold consistent in his support for this bill,” Del. Ben L. Cline (R-Rockbridge), said to The Washington Post.
