I’m beginning to see some pushback online against claims that Virginia’s so-called “Repeal Act” is as barbaric as pro-life activists claim — or as barbaric as its own sponsor testified. In a now-viral video clip, Democrat delegate Kathy Tran confirmed that the bill would permit third-trimester abortions even when the mother “has physical signs that she’s about to give birth,” including when she’s “dilating.” In response, a number of people are passing around arguments such as this, from attorney Max Kennerly:
“The Virginia bill anti-choice people are screaming about prohibits abortion in the third trimester unless (a) at a licensed hospital; (b) with a doctor certifying pregnancy is “likely” to cause harm to the mother; and, (c) life support’s available and used if the fetus is viable.
— Max Kennerly (@MaxKennerly) January 30, 2019″
Rather than rely on tweets — or even the testimony of the bill’s sponsor — let’s look at the bill text itself. Thanks to the strike-feature on the Virginia website, you can see exactly how the bill would change current law, and those changes are chilling:
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