February 28
,
2012
by: ASRM Office of Public Affairs
Published in ASRM Bulletin Volume 14, Number 14
The Virginia Senate today voted to “carry over until 2013” HB 1 the “Personhood” bill.
This bill would have established that legal personhood existed at “every stage of human development.” Obviously, such a law would have endangered access to a number of crucial aspects of reproductive medicine: IVF, contraception, and treating ectopic pregnancies all would have been in danger.
At a hearing of a Senate health panel this morning several members of ASRM and the patient advocacy group RESOLVE made a strong case as to the devastating impact the bill would have had on infertility care.
While the bill was moved out of committee this morning, the full Senate voted this afternoon to send it back to committee, effectively killing the bill for the year. A generous thank you to the ASRM members who gave testimony this morning and to the many, many others who contacted their Senators over the course of the last two weeks. Your voices were heard!
Below is a press statement issued a few minutes ago:
ASRM Pleased with Wise Decision of Virginia Senate to Stall “Personhood” Bill
Statement attributable to Sean Tipton, Director of Public Affairs, American Society for Reproductive Medicine “The physicians and other professionals who are dedicating their lives to taking care of Virginia's infertility patients applaud the decision by the Senate today to table HB1 and end its prospects of passage this year.
This so-called personhood bill would have endangered the ability of Virginians diagnosed with infertility to get the medical help they need to build their families. The burden of infertility is heavy enough without extremist groups trying to make it worse.
The voices of people concerned with reproductive health - from family building to contraception - were heard today. The Virginia Senate, like the voters in Mississippi and Colorado before them, refused to take an extreme stand that would endanger reproductive health.
We pledge to make every effort to defeat legislation anywhere that threatens patients' access to the treatments they need.”
The ASRM Bulletin is published by ASRM's Office of Public Affairs to inform Society members of important recent developments. Republication or any other use of the contents of the Bulletin without permission is prohibited. To request permission to quote or excerpt material from the Bulletin, contact Sean Tipton at stipton@asrm-dc.org.