It's back to the drawing board for a slightly revamped State Board of Health, which now has new political appointees. The Board has decided to study and amend abortion clinic regulations that have only been in effect since last year. The regulations’ defenders say the inspections have uncovered unsafe conditions, while abortion-rights advocates say the rules may force clinics to close.
The rules regulate clinics that perform five or more abortions per month as hospitals. Progress Virginia’s Anna Scholl says the board's decision is a first step. She believes they recognize that provisions such as wider hallways and awnings at the entrances don’t affect safety.
But the Family Foundation's Victoria Cobb says the rules protect women, and abortion-advocates have lost sight of that.
The board’s decision does not change current state law, and revamping the regulations could take years.
