In November 2010, Delegate Bob Marshall prefiled a bill for the Virginia House of Delegates to establish that the word “person” in Virginia law includes unborn children. This bill, scheduled to present on January 12, 2011, is landmark legislation – defining, for the first time, that the life of each human being begins at conception. The proposed bill is a specific response to the Code of Virginia, Section 8.01-50, the section of law that determines what legal action for death by wrongful act is appropriate in the Commonwealth. (Read the bill in its entirety at http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?111+ful+HB1440)
As a response to Delegate Marshall’s question of whether the Commonwealth can regulate facilities in which first trimester abortion services are provided and medical personnel who perform them, on August 20, 2010, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli wrote: “It is my opinion that the Commonwealth has the authority to promulgate regulations for facilities in which first trimester abortions are performed as well as for providers of first trimester abortions …” (Read the entire memo at http://www.oag.state.va.us/OPINIONS/2010opns/10-012%20(Smith)%20-%20Marshall%20version.pdf )
With this in mind, numerous pro-life groups have organized the Virginia Rally for Life in Richmond, Va., on January 13, 2011 (http://virginiarallyforlife.com/). The event’s stated purpose is “to witness to the sanctity of life, to urge Governor McDonnell to initiate regulations for first trimester abortion facilities, and to support pro-life legislation.”
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