Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has issued an opinion that could set the stage for tighter regulation of the state's abortion clinics. The opinion was requested by State Senator Ralph Smith, and Smith says he hopes it will clear the way for more state control.
The general assembly has wrestled with this issue for years, turning back efforts to impose tougher regulations, but now some abortion rights advocates are wondering if Cuccinelli's opinion will open the door for action by the state Board of Health.
Ralph Smith was one of two state lawmakers who requested the opinion. He says he's pleased with the result. In a new release, Smith said the opinion clarified legal questions and set the stage for regulating abortion clinics like other medical facilities.
"As long as abortions in certain conditions are legal," Smith told News 7, "then we want a safe environment for them to be performed."
Representatives of Planned Parenthood agree the state has the right to regulate clinics that provide abortions. David Nova is a Vice President of Planned Parenthood. "On its face Planned Parenthood doesn't have concern about the Attorney General's opinion," Nova said. "We will have objections however, if it turns out there are state bureaucrats who use that opinion to try to impose a narrow political agenda to restrict certain medical procedures."
Planned Parenthood's Roanoke Health Center was built with tougher regulations in mind, so Nova says it's unlikely that changes in state regulation would force the facility to close.
