Cuccinelli refuses to certify new abortion regulations

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli refused Monday to certify new regulations on abortion providers because state health officials chose to exempt existing facilities from some of the most onerous provisions.

Under regulations approved in June by the State Board of Health, facilities that perform five or more first trimester abortions a month must meet strict building structure guidelines that are normally reserved for hospitals, including larger operating rooms, bigger parking lots and wider hallways. Existing facilities, however, would be exempt from those new rules, the board ruled 7-4.