Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe vetoed a bill that would have cut funding from healthcare services that provide abortions for reasons other than rape, incest or severe fetal abnormalities.
The bill would have also blocked grants to Planned Parenthood, which is the largest abortion provider in the country and performs over 300,000 abortions per year.
It was vetoed by the governor who said that thousands of people living in the state would lose access to healthcare services who depended on state grants.
"This bill, aimed at Planned Parenthood, would harm tens of thousands of Virginians who rely on the health care services and programs provided by Planned Parenthood health centers by denying them access to affordable care," said McAuliffe in the official press release.
"If we are going to build a new, more vibrant Virginia economy, we need to be opening up doors to quality, affordable healthcare, not closing them. I have promised to stand in the way of any and all attempts to interfere with a woman's right to make her own healthcare decisions," he continued.
House Bill 1090 would have restricted state funding to non-hospital abortion providers other than in cases of rape, incest, or severe fetal abnormalities. It was introduced by Republican delegate Benjamin L. Cline, seeking to ban funding to any organization that provides abortions for reasons different from those that permit federal aid.
"The Department shall not enter into a contract with, or make a grant to, any entity that performs abortions that are not federally qualified abortions or maintains or operates a facility where non-federally qualified abortions are performed, [or] provided," the bill text reads.
McAuliffe said that because of the bill, many in Virginia would be left without access to state-funded health check ups and screenings.
"Without this service, we could see an increase in STDs, more complications with pregnancies and an increase in health issues among newborns," the governor was quoted as saying by The Christian Science Monitor.
President of Virginia Society for Human Life, Olivia Gans Turner, told LifeNews that the bill would protect women and saved state funds.
"Virginia Society for Human Life strongly supports HB1090 which ensures that legitimate health care agencies, such as hospitals and total health care clinics, will get full access to Virginia taxpayer dollars before any funds could go to abortion promoters, like Planned Parenthood. This bill protects women by expanding the money available to health care providers that actually provide complete health care to women and girls, not just abortions," said Gans Turner.
About 11 states have passed the laws restricting abortion access and requiring the abortion providers to conform to standard safety regulations, including admission privileges at nearby hospitals, which pro-abortion groups say are not necessary.
