Watch out, Virginia women. Your rights have once again been revoked by anti-abortion advocate Ken Cuccinelli. On Monday, July 16, Virginia Attorney General Cuccinelli rejected the amendments made by the Virginia Board of Health to the Targeted Regulations of Abortion Providers, or TRAP laws. These amendments would exempt, or “grandfather in,” existing women’s health clinics from the architectural requirements written for new buildings. These requirements would likely force most of these women’s health clinics to close. Cuccinelli insisted that the Board overstepped their authority by amending the TRAP laws. On September 14, the Board of Health, with its new anti-abortion appointee Dr. John Seed, will meet to discuss Cuccinelli’s recommendations.
Unfortunately, this is just another demonstration of Cuccinelli’s anti-woman stance. Since becoming a Virginia Senator in 2002, Cuccinelli has:
– Spoken publicly about his desire to “make abortion disappear from Virginia”
– Attempted to challenge the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act
– Written a letter to Virginia’s public colleges and universities telling them to eliminate their policies that prohibit discrimination against members of the LGBTQ community
– Voiced his support for abstinence-only sex education, saying it would lead to “healthier and happier kids”
– Introduced a bill that would have cut state funding for Planned Parenthood
Not scared yet? Cuccinelli has also announced his plans to run for Governor of Virginia in 2013.
In response to Cuccinelli’s attack on women’s rights, Eastern Virginia Medical School student Stephanie Arnold founded a website that brings these attacks to light. She states, “I created Cooch Watch because the Attorney General has proven his only agenda for the abortion regulations is to assure they are the strictest and most costly in the nation…. we will not sit quietly by while our elected officials use the government as a tool to wage their own personal War on Women.” You can also follow “Cooch Watch 2012” on Twitter and “like” it on Facebook. Let’s show some feminist support for this cause and make this watch go viral!