Two bills related to abortion and women’s reproductive health care are heading for the floors of the Virginia Senate and House of Delegates this week. The State Senate, controlled by Republicans 21 to 19, will vote on a restrictive 24-hour waiting period bill that would require women to wait 24 hours before they could receive an abortion. Waiting periods for abortion impose undue difficulties on poor and rural women, who may not be able to afford the additional time off from work and travel required to fulfill the waiting period. The Virginia House of Delegates will also vote this week on legislation that would allow pharmacists to distribute emergency contraceptives without a physician’s prescription. The bill has received bipartisan support.
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