Black Community News News and Commentary for Christians
A federal judge this week upheld some of Virginia’s pro-life laws, which include requiring a 24-hour waiting period and mandatory ultrasounds. Bush-appointed Judge Henry Hudson also upheld the provision that states only doctors can kill unborn babies.
Judge Hudson contended that although Roe v. Wade gives women a “right” to kill their unborn babies, that right isn’t “unfettered.”
Lawmakers tried to protect women when they passed laws requiring abortion clinics to meet the same requirements as hospitals and second-trimester abortions to be done in outpatient clinics. Judge Hudson overturned these laws.
The Virginia Society for Human Life told Christian Headlines it was pleased with the decision.
“Each one of these laws protects women and their babies,” the pro-life organization said in a statement. “VSHL knows that laws like the Ultrasound requirement and 24-hour waiting period provide women with critical information about their unborn child and time to reconsider the irreversible decision they might be about to make for themselves and their child.”
An abortion-advocating “health care” group doesn’t like the ruling.
“We’re disappointed that our patients did not get their constitutionally-protected right to accessing health care without legislative interference that they are entitled to and that they deserve,” said Rosemary Codding, director of the Falls Church Healthcare Center, an abortion clinic. “Their health and their rights are foremost in our minds.”
The Virginia decision is a win for the pro-life movement, but a decision in Georgia isn’t. A federal judge blocked the state’s heartbeat law. While the case is pending, Georgia may not enforce the provision that bans abortions if abortionists detect the babies’ heartbeats.
Photo credit: American Life League (Creative Commons) – Some Rights Reserved
