I hope everyone actually reads the linked article. I think this is a huge overreaction. They are simply saying that the procedure might be more invasive than thought. I disagree, and believe that myth had been throughly debunked here on redstate. At the same time I’m not opposed to a compromise that might diffuse the argument all together. The end goal of the bill can still be accomplished. I am going to wait and see what they come up with first before I decide to get upset about it.

One very valid criticism of Obamacare is that it inserts government into the realm of medicine. The effort to require doctors to perform certain procedures, regardless of need, seems even more intrusive. What am I missing?

Oh the shame. Every time someone says something that the “elite” here don’t agree with we hear we’re going to get banned. Big deal.

They specifically rejected an amendment to the bill that would have prohibited a trans-vaginal probe, when the concern was first raised. They’ve lost all legitimate standing to support the government mandating an medically unnecessary invasive procedure.

I’m as pro-life as they come, but this particular proxy battle isn’t worth fighting. It accomplishes nothing, it flies in the face of the limited government message we should be promoting, and the optics are absolutely terrible. This was a miscalculation by legislators who don’t want to be unfairly castigated by the right-wing for opposing unreasonable legislation.

I just don’t see that the conclusion is warranted here. There is no evidence Romney would be against this bill, nor any proof McDonnell’s decision is connected to his desire to be Mitt’s running mate. I also don’t think it is fair to conclude McDonell is saying he won’t sign the bill in its current form, he just appears to be looking for some changes based on what is perceived as new information.

Obviously, I could be wrong and this might be hsi real rationale, but I think it is pure speculation without more evidence or more concrete actions on McDonnell’s part.

The bill, which is currently under further consideration in the House of Delegates, would cause lots of problems in the state senate. That house is divided right down the middle (20 Rs and 20 Ds). Should a vote in the senate split, LtGov Bolling would serve as the tiebreaker. Bolling is a very popular Republican and the RPV’s choice as the next Republican candidate for governor, but he endorsed Romney long before his boss. While I personally believe that this bill will not get the support from every Republican senator, Bolling’s vote on the bill would either betray his support to Gov McDonnell or give his 2013 challenger, conservative Republican Attorney General Ken Cuchinelli a significant advantage.

No decision made yet.

I am not a Ron Paul supporter.

However, with Gingrich and Santorum off the primary ballot Republicans should vote for Ron Paul to deny Mitt Romney the delegates. I am surprised more people are not making this call.

Or do we need to go back and re-examine that mess in a new light?
I don’t think the Governor had much to say about it, honestly, however… a Governor is a pretty powerful fellow.
Obviously, I have to wonder since his buddy is the only ” Viable ” candidate on the ticket, and he is sucked up nice and tight…
I was unaware of the relationship.

…would red state policy still be to vote republican in the general?

Let the patient elect the external ultrasound. If indeed the two procedure are effective, then take away the objectionable one and let him stand on his principles.

The root issue is the emotional event for anyone to see and to recognize the humanity of the image, then to make the determination to proceed. This bill apparently presents a very real threat to the continued acceptance of the practice of abortion, and abortion is a very lucrative business for the businesses and politicians involved.

Life under McDonnell in VA is pretty simple as McDonnell will do whatever the GOP establishment elites dictate as he aspires for his own GOP establishment elite position. Funny thing in the VA GOP (maybe not funny as it may be GOP SOP everywhere): To belong you must swear on your children’s lives you will accept all proclamations, dictates, and policy positions from the VA GOP leadership without question.

Will do some research …

So what happens when a politician becomes someone that nobody trusts? Sadly, it seems checking your ethics at the door is one of the requirements for public office.

watched this guy recently on TV, not knowing who he was. I was struck by his ability to either deflect or not answer. what a dud

with a withering satire on transvaginal ultrasound in Virginia.

especially effective was the contrast with Gov McDonnell’s own words about the intrusiveness of TSA patdowns.

Before I get smacked-down here, just wanted to note the coincidence in timing.
After all, Jon Stewart’s “The Daily Show” polls as the most trusted news source in America. And, Stewart’s satire is increasingly bipartisan, although I am still recovering from Stephen Colbert’s satire on Obama joining Darth Vader on the Dark Side for caving on Super-PACS. First time anyone has visually depicted Obama with devil-horns in a stairical piece?.

I just read the piece in question (and the comments) and have to say I cannot see much of a connection here.

Isn’t this all much more likely due to a poorly crafted bill combined with some internecine VA GOP issues?

but a more accurate title would have been “VA Governor Bob McDonnell Hangs VA Conservatives Out to Dry.” I firmly believe that the VA GOP (RPV) is about as pro-choice as a Southern States party could be.

As for the Virginia GOP, they benefited greatly in the last few elections from a populace who could think for themselves and is generally conservative. They had enough of Barack Obama and took it out on any available Democrat they could. The party apparatus itself is full of moderate Republicans and is semi-dysfunctional, and flatters itself to think it had much to do with the ascendancy of the GOP in elected office in Virginia.

Streiff is exactly right. This is about national political aspirations, and the national GOP imploring McDonnell to reign in those crazy conservatives in Richmond – most of whom have gambled their political careers on this principled stand.

If I were a conservative in the GOP today, no matter where, I would wear my Kevlar jacket backwards. We are far more likely to be felled by knives in the back than shots from the front.

The comments from about all concerned on this are depressing. If we cannot cheerfully promote conservatism among ourselves, how can we ever expect to generate candidates who can do so, especially to non-conservatives?

Statement of Governor Bob McDonnell on SB 484

RICHMOND – Governor Bob McDonnell issued the following statement today regarding SB 484, a bill before the General Assembly that would require an ultrasound prior to an abortion being performed.

“I am pro-life. I believe deeply in the sanctity of innocent human life and believe governments have a duty to protect human life. The more our society embraces a culture of life for all people, the better country we will have. Over the course of my 20-year career in elected office, I have been glad to play a leading role in putting in place common-sense policies that protect and defend innocent human life in the Commonwealth. One of those bills was Virginia’s informed consent statute, of which I was the chief patron in the House of Delegates, finally seeing its passage in 2001. This session, the General Assembly is now considering amending this informed consent statute to include a requirement that any woman seeking an abortion receive an ultrasound in order to establish the gestational age for appropriate medical purposes, and to offer a woman the opportunity to voluntarily review that ultrasound prior to giving her legal informed consent to abortion.

Over the past days I have discussed the specific language of the proposed legislation with other governors, physicians, attorneys, legislators, advocacy groups, and citizens. It is apparent that several amendments to the proposed legislation are needed to address various medical and legal issues which have arisen. It is clear that in the majority of cases, a routine external, transabdominal ultrasound is sufficient to meet the bill’s stated purpose, that is, to determine gestational age. I have come to understand that the medical practice and standard of care currently guide physicians to use other procedures to find the gestational age of the child, when abdominal ultrasounds cannot do so. Determining gestational age is essential for legal reasons, to know the trimester of the pregnancy in order to comply with the law, and for medical reasons as well.

Thus, having looked at the current proposal, I believe there is no need to direct by statute that further invasive ultrasound procedures be done. Mandating an invasive procedure in order to give informed consent is not a proper role for the state. No person should be directed to undergo an invasive procedure by the state, without their consent, as a precondition to another medical procedure.

For this reason, I have recommended to the General Assembly a series of amendments to this bill. I am requesting that the General Assembly amend this bill to explicitly state that no woman in Virginia will have to undergo a transvaginal ultrasound involuntarily. I am asking the General Assembly to state in this legislation that only a transabdominal, or external, ultrasound will be required to satisfy the requirements to determine gestational age. Should a doctor determine that another form of ultrasound may be necessary to provide the necessary images and information that will be an issue for the doctor and the patient. The government will have no role in that medical decision.

I have requested other amendments that help clarify the purposes of the bill and reflect a better understanding of prevailing medical practices. It is my hope that the members of the General Assembly will act favorably upon these recommendations from our office. We will await their action prior to making any further comments on this matter.”

Good job, Bob!

In this bill, does the opportunity to view the ultrasound mean real time video or is a printed image after the ultrasound is done acceptable?

In this biill, is a clinic allowed to put the question “Do you want to see the ultrasound?” on the initial form filled out in the waiting room along with the 30 other questions like whether they smoke, did they know the father, do they have any venereal diseases and what they guess the number of weeks is?

How the *bleep* is the state supposed to regulate whether the ultrasound tech/abortionist is giving accurate answers to the number of weeks? Have women who are pregnant and know the day they conceived go undercover and then after the estimate is made “change their minds”? (Is the ultrasound tech/abortionist required to *tell* the woman how many weeks along they are)

even his potential staff are turn-coats. They are like fish out of water flip-flopping around. I pray that Santorum can win everything from here out and that Romney is put to rest. The established GOP is turning to the left and Romney is pulling it right along with him. We don’t want or need more leftist. The Democrats have a sufficient supply and we don’t need Liberal Republicans. That would be like having a Jewish Pope.

I have had a dread in my gut after seeing Bob McDonnel a month ago on Fox. He took an unnecessary swipe at social issues. Some who want to drop them set up a dichotomy–pollar opposites– that does not exist. They say that a fully integrated policy view promoting fiscal conservatism can not work with a state or large body of residents with social issues, and social issues must be abandoned. Since social issues take so little time its a betrayal for convenience on McDonnnell’s part..

Bob did support the state legislature on life. Back when he was governor VA.

Now I see what Bob McDonnell meant on Fox when he sneared at social issues as getting in the way of an economic recovery or whatever. A man who got where he is as Christian conservative no longer cares. Pure and simple.

Timelss Moralist Dante reserved the last rung of Hell for trechery.

I hope if the Gov and VP wannabe Bob still has a conscience he keeps that in mind.

I do not support this coward for VP.

cel

The one man or woman to trust to date in repealing Obamacare is AG VA Ken Cuccinelli who got the ball rolling right after it was signed March 2010. AG Bill McCullum did the same in Florida.

Ken says the governor and Lt gov cut a deal not to run against each other in 2009. MCDonnell pays back the Lt gov. Mcdonnell may back the Lt gov for governor. Ken is also running for governor VA. But all his time is spent doing his job and that includes Obamacare law suit. Ken does not trust Romney. I see that skepticism as a sign of hope and light.

Florida saw a fluke in 2010 in the AG race. For all the good tea party spirit and money did there were times the wrong choice may have won. I think Pam Bondi was a bad pick for AG. A lightweight with a sound bite ready on Greta OTR panel she had high TV name recognition and won AG.

Pam took over the lawsuit Bill McCullum began. Pam now supports Romneycare or Romney’s plan, there is confusion. She is a big Romney surrogate and there is no doubt there. She is not a strong advocate for Obamacare repeal in my opinion.

That leaves AG Ken in VA
Ken is the man I look to to hold the line on Obamacare and Romenycare models. Tyranical health care need not be inevitable. And Ken Cuccinelli may be the next governor VA. If he is elected I look to his backing the legislature and supporting life.

Ken leads the nation on his ACA lawsuit to repeal ALL of Obamacare and may lead VA to a higher quality of life if elected governor.
.
I subscribe to Ken’s newsletter for Court opdates on Obamacare and much of what I posted on Va politics including his critiicism of Romney and the Governor-Lt gov deal was taken from that newsletter.

as a comparison suggesting the GOP wants women raped but no one should be molested at the airport. The real heat comes from fear of losing seats to dems as they ramp up the hater machine in hopes women will and independent men will shift the vote this fall. Sure McDonnell wants to be VP or a cabinet job. I think he’s more presidential than the final 4.

Dems and liberals have come out of the shells siding with OWS, and they’ve built a small army of zealots and broad thinkers who fight in a manner that the GOP has yet to take the upper hand with. We’re going to have to ramp up counter attacks, encourage more to join in the fight. This issue does give them ammunition to fight hard and anger people who switch sides on election day. Sure many forget, till they see the negative ads near election day. We need more conservative media as well as we have to find a way to push the MSM to the center.

I don’t see this bill going to the governor, at best they should focus on requiring abortion patients to watch films of live abortions and sonograms of volunteers assuming they don’t already.