Tell The General Assembly – It’s About RESPECT!

The General Assembly is in full swing and Virginia NOW is busy lobbying on key bills. Make YOUR voice heard now. It is so important to write to your state delegates and senators, call their offices, visit them at their offices and attend events.

What suffragist Carrie Chapman Catt said in the early 1900s applies equally in Virginia today: “Roll up your sleeves, set your mind to making history, and wage such a fight for liberty that the whole world will respect our sex.” RESPECT is what the fight is about for the ERA and against the many proposed laws on access to abortion and reproductive health care. Click here to find out who represents you in Richmond.

On February 1, we will join the League of Women Voters of Virginia for a jam-packed lobby day that will include legislative briefings, committee hearings, and meeting with elected officials. The day starts with the Women’s Round Table from 8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m. in the General Assembly Building (9th and Broad Street, downtown Richmond), 7th Floor West Conference Room. We’ll join LWV-VA President Lynn Gordon for lunch at 11:30 a.m.- location to be announced. Please make your appointments with your senator and delegate before February 1. If you don’t make an appointment, you will most likely meet with one of the aides.

VA NOW’s special focus will be the Equal Rights Amendment resolution that has been introduced in the House of Delegates (HJ 115) and the Senate (SJ 130). We thank the initial patrons of the resolution: Delegates Scott Surovell, Kaye Kory, Ken Plum, Jim Scott, and Mark Sickles, and Senators George Barker, Barbara Favola and Toddy Puller. We expect more legislators who champion women’s issues to become patrons. To read the ERA resolution on the Virginia General Assembly website, please click here. To learn more about the February 1st lobby day, please contact VA NOW President Diana Ecozcue at dclj@comcast.net

Breast Cancer Density Testing Virginia NOW is working with breast cancer survivors who are advocating for supplementary screening for patients with dense breast tissue (if determined by a physician). The bipartisan bill – HB 3 in the House of Delegates and SB 544 in the state Senate -requires the Board of Health to establish guidelines requiring all mammogram reports to include information on breast density. Patrons are Robert Orrock (Republican) in the House and John Edwards (Democrat) in the Senate. This bill sounds reasonable – and life-saving – but there is opposition from certain medical groups. Please be sure to tell your Delegate and your Senator that you support this bill because it can save women’s lives.

Restricting Access to Reproductive HealthcareVirginia NOW opposes the following bills and budget cuts as harmful to women’s reproductive health:
HB 1 – So-called “Rights of unborn children,” could criminalize common forms of birth control and fertility treatments (such as IVF) and make abortion illegal in all cases. The “personhood” bill was Introduced by Delegate Robert Marshall, who is hostile to women’s reproductive healthcare. (FYI – He is running against former Senator George Allen for the Republican nomination for United States Senate.)
HB 62 – would ban Medicaid funding for abortion in cases of fetal abnormality. This bill – sponsored by Delegate Mark Cole – is cruel and punitive. It’s also unnecessary. Last year, 26 women applied for funds for an abortion for a fetus with abnormalities incompatible with life, of which 22 were granted at a cost of $13,000. Certainly Delegate Cole has better things to do with his time as a public servant.
HB 462 – “Informed consent about abortion,” would require all women seeking an abortion to undergo an ultrasound (whether or not it is medically indicated or necessary) and – we quote from the bill – “require that the medical professional performing the ultrasound obtain written certification from the woman that the opportunity was offered and whether the woman availed herself of the opportunity to see the ultrasound image or hear the fetal heartbeat.” This coercive bill, introduced by Delegate Kathy Byron, is insulting to women and medical professionals and invades women’s privacy. The purpose is to further restrict access to abortion care.
Zeroing Out Teen Pregnancy Prevention Funding!
In our view, successful programs that help teens prevent pregnancy should be supported. The McDonnell budget cuts all teen pregnancy prevention funding in the seven districts with programs, including Alexandria, where it has been highly successful. We think $440,000 for these programs – last year’s funding level – is a solid investment in the future of our youth. Tell your elected officials you want this funding restored.

Disgraceful! Gov. Signs Medically Unnecessary, Politicized Clinic Regulations

Statement of Diana Egozcue, President of the Virginia Chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW)

The Associated Press reports that today (Thursday, Dec. 29) Gov. Robert McDonnell approved onerous, medically unnecessary emergency regulations for women’s clinics in Virginia that could undermine women’s access to abortion and other reproductive health care services. The regulations require existing clinics to meet the same strict building standards as new hospital construction.

On behalf of the women of Virginia, Virginia NOW denounces the politically motivated regulations signed today by Governor McDonnell. The governor and Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli have not fooled anyone by claiming that these regulations are needed to protect the health and safety of women. Virginia clinics have an excellent record of providing high-quality, safe services. It is incomprehensible that these burdensome regulations have any purpose other than to make it more difficult to obtain a first-trimester abortion in Virginia and ultimately to shut down clinics.

The politicization of this entire process is disgraceful. One of the medical experts who advised state health officials on these regulations was told that existing clinics could be “grandfathered in” and would not be held to standards that were not in place when they opened. However, Attorney General Cuccinelli rewrote the regulations formulated by the medical experts and then the governor stacked the Board of Health membership with appointees who would ensure the rewritten regulations were passed. Add to that the intimidation by the office of the attorney general during the Board of Health vote on the regulations and you have a process that is disrespectful to all Virginians.

We assure you, Governor McDonnell and Attorney General Cuccinelli, the women of Virginia have watched this charade. You say you are trying to protect women, but these regulations are not protection. They are harmful to women’s health and show that in Virginia, women are still considered property especially during pregnancy.

Virginia NOW condemns the actions of the governor and attorney general and will work with our allies to protect women’s clinics in Virginia and to protect women’s health and lives.

Associated Press Reports on Politicized Abortion Clinic Regulations

This is the full AP report, showing that political – not medical – concerns – were behind the regulations. Gov. McDonnell still has not signed them. Virginia NOW continues to demand the regulations be moderated.

Some ob-gyn professionals who advised health officials on abortion regs unhappy with result
LARRY O’DELL Associated Press
First Posted: December 03, 2011 – 8:01 am
Last Updated: December 03, 2011 – 11:36 am

RICHMOND, Va. — Abortion-rights activists are not the only people unhappy with emergency abortion clinic regulations that await Gov. Bob McDonnell’s signature.

Some medical experts who advised state health officials on the development of the regulations suggest that political concerns, not safety problems, were behind the crackdown and are disappointed some of their key recommendations were not followed. Most notably, the regulations adopted by the Board of Health require existing clinics to meet the same strict building standards as new hospital construction. Critics say those guidelines will put most of Virginia’s clinics out of business.
Legislation passed last winter by the General Assembly requires that all clinics performing five or more first-trimester abortions per month be regulated like hospitals. The legislation called for emergency regulations to take effect by Dec. 31 and remain in place for a year while permanent regulations are developed.

Supporters of the regulations say the goal is to protect women’s health. Opponents claim the regulations are intended to reduce access to abortions.

A McDonnell spokesman said the Republican governor continues to review the regulations.
“That being said, he has consistently expressed his pro-life position when it comes to issues of abortion,” spokesman Jeff Caldwell said.

Dr. James E. Ferguson II, chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Virginia, is among a half-dozen medical educators chosen by state Health Commissioner Karen Remley to provide guidance in drafting the regulations.
“Everybody wants safe, appropriate facilities for patient care,” Ferguson said. “I think these things went overboard.”
Ferguson said the document adopted by the board in September went well beyond what the advisory panel recommended, and he has told Remley he doesn’t want his name associated with the regulations as they are now written.
“I don’t know where they got changed, but ultimately they were different, more stringent and more restrictive — and several of them, at least, unnecessary,” Ferguson said.

Caroline Gibson, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli, said the office advised the board that the strict building standards — which cover things like hallway widths and covered entrances — are mandated by state law.

Dr. Jerome F. Strauss III, dean of Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Medicine, said the advisory panel initially was told that existing clinics could be “grandfathered in” and would not be held to standards that were not in place when they opened. So he was surprised to later learn that was not the case.

“There were clearly changes made, and if they were made by individuals with medical qualifications I guess there could be a discussion, but it’s not clear to me that that was the case,” Strauss said.

The advisory panel also wanted to limit the regulations to clinics performing surgical abortions, exempting medical terminations of pregnancy, Strauss said. But again, the attorney general’s office advised the board that state law makes no distinction between medical and surgical abortions so the board can’t either, Gibson said.
Joseph Hilbert, the state Health Department’s director of governmental and regulatory affairs, declined to comment directly on the panel members’ concerns.

“Certainly we very much value and appreciate the assistance they provided us and their willingness to provide their time and expertise,” he said.

Ferguson credits Remley with making “a good faith effort” to give medical professionals a voice in drafting the regulations, but he believes the health department ultimately got too hung up on mirroring South Carolina’s clinic regulations, which courts have declared constitutional. He said the advisory panel also borrowed from guidelines from the American Congress of Gynecologists and Obstetricians and other sources, but the final product closely tracks the South Carolina regulations.

According to Ferguson, the South Carolina clinic regulations are inappropriate in some respects for Virginia because they cover first- and second-trimester abortions. Second-trimester abortions in Virginia must be done in hospitals.
“There were more than a few things I felt were unnecessary that were just stuck in there because South Carolina had it in there,” Ferguson said.

Ferguson also questioned the need for the strict regulations.
“I asked, ‘Do we have evidence there are problems in this area? Are women getting sick and are women dying?’ And the answer was no,” Ferguson said.

Not all medical professionals who contributed to the process were dissatisfied. Dr. John W. Seeds, a senior associate dean at VCU, said the regulations “were written carefully to be compliant with constitutional safeguards.”
He also said clinic structure requirements were “not within the expertise of the advisory group” and acknowledged that the board had no obligation to follow the panel’s recommendations.

VA NOW PAC-Endorsed Candidates

Today – Tuesday, Nov. 8 – is Election Day. The polls are open from 6 am to 7 pm.

A lot is at stake for the women and families of Virginia in this election. Several legislators who have been solid supporters of our issues and values are in tight races. There are also close races for open seats and seats in redistricted areas. Candidates who have been endorsed by VA NOW PAC will work to protect reproductive rights and LGBT rights, pass the Equal Rights Amendment, improve safety on campuses, fund comprehensive sexuality education, and restore voting rights to ex-felons. They deserve our support.

VA NOW PAC-Endorsed Candidates in Competitive House of Delegates Races
Connie Brennan in District 59 (Buckingham, Appomattox Counties, parts of Albemarle, Nelson and Campbell Counties. A Nelson County Supervisor, she is the first woman elected to that board. She is a retired nurse-practitioner with 28 years at the University of Virginia, where co-founded the Women’s Health Center in Charlottesville, a non-profit health center that provided affordable and accessible health care to women and their families throughout the region.

Robin Abbott (D), District 93 (Newport News, etc.).
Abbott is a consumer advocate who is excellent on issues of concern to families. She deserves our support.

Adrienne Bennett (D), District 21 (Virginia Beach, Chesapeake City) Bennett is in a tough race. She is good on our issues and deserves support.

VA NOW PAC-Endorsed Candidates in Competitive Races for State Senate
Barbara Favola (D), Senate District 31 (Arlington, McLean, Loudon). Favola is a long-time NOW member and a strong supporter of women’s rights and reproductive rights.

Edd Houck (D), incumbent Senator in the 17th District (Spotsylvania County, City of Fredericksburg, Orange County, parts of Albemarle County, Culpeper County, Louisa County). Houck is chair of the Senate Education and Health Committee, where harmful legislation affecting reproductive health is often stopped. He has strong ties to our Fredericksburg/Spottsylvania members.

Shawn Mitchell (D), Senate District 13 (Loudon, Prince William). A veteran, small business owner, and father of young children. His opponent – Dick Black – is known for his extreme anti-choice views, including distributing plastic fetus dolls.

Ralph Northam, MD (D), incumbent Senator in the 6th District (Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Matthews County, etc.). His record on our issues is excellent. He has sponsored sex education legislation and has been on the Senate Education and Health Committee.

John Miller (D), incumbent senator in the 1st District (Newport News, Williamsburg, etc). Miller has been supportive of NOW’s issues and deserves re-election.

Toddy Puller (D), three-term Senator in District 36 (Prince William, Fairfax, Stafford). She is excellent on our issues. Her opponent, Jeff Frederick, was ousted as state Republican Party chairman in April 2009.

John Edwards (D), four-term Senator in the 21st district (Roanoke, Montgomery County). Edwards has been supportive of NOW issues and is a member of the Senate Health and Education Committee.

George Barker (D), Senator in the 39th District (Prince William, Fairfax, Alexandria City). Barker is in a close race. He is exellent on NOW issues and an expert on health care.

Commission to Honor Contributions of the Women of Virginia Announces Public Forum Schedule

Governor Robert F. McDonnell, chairman of the Commemorative Commission to Honor the Contributions of the Women of Virginia, along with other commission members and legislative leaders House Speaker William J. Howell and State Senator Mary Margaret Whipple, announced that the Commission would hold a series of nine forums or “community conversations” across the Commonwealth during October to gather ideas and broad public input on an appropriate monument in Virginia’s Capitol Square in Richmond to commemorate the contributions of the women of Virginia. Virginia NOW members will attend the forums. If you have ideas for women to be commemorated, please contact marj.signer@gmail.com

The schedule of the nine “community conversations” to which everyone is invited is:

October 12 – Southside Virginia
7:00 PM at Danville Community College – Regional Center for Advanced Technology & Training Auditorium
121 Slayton Avenue, Danville, Virginia 24540

October 17 — Hampton Roads
2:00 PM at Christopher Newport University
Freeman Center, Room 202,
University Place, Newport News, Virginia 23606

October 17 — Hampton Roads
7:00 PM at Norfolk City Hall
810 Union Street
Norfolk, Virginia 23510

October 19 — Southwest Virginia
7:00 PM at Radford University
Heth Hall
801 East Main Street, Radford, Virginia 24142

October 20 – Central Virginia
2:00 PM at University of Richmond
Tyler Haynes Commons, Room 305
28 Westhampton Way, Richmond, Virginia 23173

October 20 – Central Virginia
7:00 PM at Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Lecture Hall
200 North Boulevard, Richmond, Virginia 23229

October 24 – Valley / Western Virginia
7:00 PM at James Madison University
Festival Board Room
1301 Carrier Drive, Harrisonburg, Virginia 22807

October 26 — Northern Virginia
2:00 PM at Fairfax County Government Center
Conference Rooms 9 or 10
12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, Virginia 22035
7:00 PM at Fairfax County Government Center
Conference Rooms 9 or 10
12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax, Virginia 22035

The Commemorative Commission to Honor the Contributions of the Women of Virginia is charged with erecting a monument on the grounds of Capitol Square in Richmond. In addition to Governor McDonnell, Speaker Howell and Senator Whipple, other Commission members are Delegate James P. Massie, III; Senator Jill Holtzman Vogel, eight non-legislative citizen members – Em Bowles Locker Alsop, Mary Abel-Smith, Kitty Claiborne, Carol Price, Mary Blanton Easterly, Jacqueline Cook Hedblom and Rita D. McClenny; Secretary of Administration, Lisa M. Hicks-Thomas; Librarian of Virginia, Sandra G. Treadway; Executive Director of the Capitol Square Preservation Council, James E. Wotton; Executive Director of the Virginia Capitol Foundation, Alice Lynch, Clerk of the Senate of Virginia, Susan Schaar; and G. Paul Nardo, Clerk of the Virginia House of Delegates.

The Commission’s work is privately funded.

Information about how to participate in the “community conversations” follows:

• The ideas and opinions of the citizens of the Commonwealth are important. Respecting everyone’s schedules, the time allotted for these forums will be no more than two and one-half hours. These constraints could limit the time that each speaker is granted, in order to enable as many speakers as possible to speak. The person facilitating the conversations will determine what time limits, if any, are necessary and will announce any guidelines at the beginning of the forum.

• Notice of the nine “community conversations” also is listed on the Internet website of the Virginia General Assembly. To access the meeting schedule, please click on “meetings” at http://leg1.state.va.us

• Special Assistance: For interpreter services or other accommodations telephone (804) 698-7450 or (804) 698-1540, TDD number 1-866-267-1474 or (804) 786-2369. Written requests may be made to Lori Roper or Angi Murphy, 910 Capitol Street, Richmond, Virginia 23219. Requests for interpreters should be received seven days prior to the meeting.

• Submitting written comment in lieu of public participation: As noted above, letters or written correspondence stating your support or opposition will be accepted in lieu of oral participation at one of the “community conversations.” Persons wishing to submit such written material should address their correspondence to the Virginia Women’s Commission, Post Office Box 396, Richmond, Virginia 23173.

• If you have any questions or require additional information about these public forums, please contact Lori Roper at (804) 698-1540 or Angi Murphy at (804) 698-7450, or by email at lroper@house.virginia.gov or amurphy@senate.virginia.gov. For inquiries about the work of the Commission, please contact Laura Jennings in the Office of the Secretary of Administration at (804) 786-1201 or laura.jennings@governor.virginia.gov.

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It’s Time – to Give!

Contribute to the Virginia NOW PAC through Click and Pledge, our safe, secure system.

Contributions to the Virginia NOW Political Action Committee are used for PAC activities including endorsing candidates and providing funds and other types of support for endorsed candidates.

Our PAC works to elect leaders who will fight for our values – women’s reproductive rights, the Equal Rights Amendment, ending violence against women, needed social services for women and families, equal pay and equality in the workplace, job security, health care, and a clean and healthy environment. We endorse candidates committed to overcoming sexism and bringing women into full equality.

The Virginia NOW PAC is the only political action committee in Virginia devoted solely to women’s rights. Please give generously to ensure that the fight for equality continues.

First-Person Account of Hearing That Passed Most Burdensome Clinic Regulations in Country

By Corrina Beall- Political Associate Feminist Majority PAC and former president, Richmond NOW

James Edmondson Jr. was the lone advocate for reproductive justice on the Board of Health Thursday, September 15,, as the Board voted 12-1 to adopt the most burdensome regulations on abortion providers in the nation.

Edmondson cast the single vote against enacting the regulations after
three hours of battling for a series of amendments to relax the
regulations. One amendment would have exempted clinics performing
only medical abortions and others were intended to protect patients’
privacy. All but two of his more minor amendments to the regulations
were unsuccessful.

“I think access will wind up being at risk in many parts of the state
because of this, and that’s too bad,” Edmondson told reporters after
the vote. Edmondson said he believes restricting access to abortion is
the primary aim of the General Assembly-mandated regulations.

Lawmakers passed legislation last winter requiring licensure and
extensive regulation of abortion clinics. The Attorney General’s
office and Gov. McDonnell must sign off on the temporary regulations, which
will remain in effect while permanent ones are developed. Edmondson
expressed that he is not optimistic that the permanent regulations
will be any fairer to women.

A packed boardroom of over 100 concerned private citizens witnessed
the vote on abortion regulations after a heated 90 minute period of
public comment. These are some of the afternoon’s highlights:

Nurse Practitioner Gail Francis, who opened Virginia’s first abortion
clinic in the same year as Roe v. Wade in 1973, said her experiences
before abortion was legalized as a nurse in the ER “put me on a
journey to make sure no woman senselessly dies from this simple
medical procedure.”

Rosemary Codding, veteran abortion rights activist and founder and
director of Patient Services at Falls Church Healthcare Center,
challenged the Board, “it is never the wrong time to do the right
thing”.

Virginia League of Planned Parenthood spokesman Tom Sheilds testified
as a father, telling the Board, “regulations intrude on the rights of
Americans, including the rights of my three young daughters.”

Virginia Delegate Charnielle Herring, chair of the Virginia
Legislature’s Reproductive Health Caucus, called for a
depoliticization of provider regulations: “what is important is that
we have medically accurate and scientifically sound regulations.”

Jill Abby of Richmond Medical Center for Women told the Board that the
regulation’s handling of both patient and provider privacy was
unacceptable. “These confidentiality issues conflict with medical
ethics and federal law,” she said to the packed Board room.

Activist Eric Scott asked Board members of regulations characterized
as the strictest in the nation, “is this what you want Virginia to be
known for?”

Youth activist Kate Bowler told the Board, “I think it’s important for
you to see my face and know that as a young woman of reproductive age,
I am against these regulations.”

Feminist Majority Political Associate Corrina Beall said, “the young
women of Virginia rely on these services” including testing for sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS, cancer screenings and contraception counselling and provision. “The families of Virginia
rely on these services and my generation relies on these services. Do
not take them away.”

Virginia NOW Meets Saturday, Sept. 10, in Fredericksburg – Join Us

Virginia NOW Fall State Council Meeting
Saturday, Sept. 10, 2011
11 am to 4 pm
England Run Library, 806 Lyons Blvd., Fredericksburg

Delegate Charniele Herring Will Tell Us About the Onerous “TRAP” Law, Other Legislation, & What We As Feminist Activists Can Be Doing

Lunch will be provided. RSVPs are essential so we will know how much to order. Please indicate if you want the vegetarian option. RSVP to President Diana Egozcue at vanowpresident@hotmail.com

We have a full agenda, including:
Actions regarding to TRAP regulations (Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers)

Rape on Virginia campuses – Susan Rusell, who founded UVA Victims of Rape to redress the outrageous refusal of UVA to prosecute her daughter’s rapist, will tell us about her struggle to pass legislation to break the silence of UVA and other Virginia universities over rape on their campuses.

The ERA – Get involved in Virginia NOW’s campaign to pass the Equal Rights Amendment.

Virginia NOW PAC – Our political action committee is identifying and endorsing candidates who share our values. This election cycle is urgent – anti-choice anti-equality candidates need only a few votes to take over the entire General Assembly and give Gov McDonnell and Ken Cuccinelli everything they want (and we don’t).

Title IX – Our newest campaign will collect data on discrimination in Virginia higher ed.

Donate Today to the Virginia NOW PAC!

The Virginia NOW PAC is the only political action committee in Virginia devoted solely to women’s rights. You can contribute to the Virginia NOW PAC through Click and Pledge, our safe, secure system.

Support the PAC – support your feminist values!

Take Action to Keep Women’s Clinics Open

The Virginia Department of Health released the draft TRAP regulations (Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers) on Friday. These regulations threaten the continued availability of safe, legal first-trimester abortion in Virginia. It is clear that politics–not public health and sound science–is the driving force behind the regulations.

The draft regulations require existing women’s health centers in Virginia to meet extensive, significant physical plant requirements found in the 2010 Guidelines for Design and Construction of Health Care Facilities – including Guidelines for Outpatient Surgical Facilities, otherwise called ambulatory surgical facilities. These guidelines are intended for new construction in the process of being built. They were never intended for existing health care structures and are not intended to apply to office-based surgical procedures. By imposing the 2010 Guidelines on existing structures, the Virginia Department of Health would force most women’s health centers to make substantial architectural changes in order to stay open. Rather than protect women’s health, the regulations could endanger women because they could shut down clinics and limit access to safe abortion.

On September 15, the Board of Health will vote on these regulations.

TAKE ACTION: Join Virginia NOW and other partners in the Virginia Coalition to Protect Women’s Health in Richmond on September 14, the day before the Board of Health meeting, to speak out against the attack on women’s reproductive health! Learn more at http://www.coalitionforwomenshealth.org/

When: 11:30 am
Where: Virginia Commonwealth University, Compass Area, Richmond, VA. Located between the James Branch Cabell Library, Hibbs Hall and the Shafer Court Dining Center, at the center of the VCU campus.

TAKE ACTION: Sign the Coalition petition to Governor McDonnell at http://www.coalitionforwomenshealth.org/