Virginia Senator Janet Howell Becomes Hero for Women’s Health Rights Advocates

January 30, 2012

Irked by abortion bill, Va. senator adds rectal exams for men

By Michael Sluss –The Roanoke Times – The (Virginia) state Senate this afternoon gave preliminary approval for legislation that would require pregnant women to undergo ultrasound imaging before an abortion, but not before rejecting a Democratic senator’s attempt to add what she described as “ a little gender equity” to the bill.

Democrat Janet Howell of Fairfax County proposed requiring men to undergo a rectal exam and a cardiac stress test before getting prescriptions for erectile dysfunction drugs such as Viagra.

“This is a matter of basic fairness,” Howell said.

Senate Bill 484 would require a pregnant woman to undergo ultrasound imaging to determine the gestational age of the fetus, and be given an opportunity to view the ultrasound image, before having an abortion. The proposed law also requires the abortion provider to keep a printed copy of the ultrasound image in the patient’s file.

The bill cleared the Senate Education and Health Committee on a party-line vote last week, with the panel’s GOP majority providing the votes to get the measure to the floor. Abortion opponents have fought for the legislation. Abortion rights advocates argue that the ultrasound requirement would subject women to unnecessary procedures and limit the discretion of doctors.

Howell said she left last week’s committee meeting feeling “quite distressed and angry” about the bill.

“It’s requiring them to have unnecessary medical procedures, it’s adding to the cost and it’s opening them up for emotional blackmail,” she said on the Senate floor today. “And I was upset because it’s disrespectful of doctors. It’s forcing them to perform procedures they don’t think is necessary.”

She said she was watching television in her hotel room that evening and saw an ad for an erectile dysfunction drug that included a recitation of “all the serious things that could happen to a man who was going to take this medication.”

“So, I said, it’s only fair, that if we’re going to subject women to unnecessary procedures, and we’re going to subject doctors to having to do things that they don’t think is medically advisory, well, Mr. President, I think we should just have a little gender equity here,” Howell said, explaining her amendment.

The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Jill Vogel, R-Fauquier County, disagreed.

“I do believe that erectile dysfunction in this context is different from pregnancy,” Vogel said.

The amendment was defeated on a 21-19 vote. On a voice vote, the Republican-controlled Senate advanced the ultarsound requirement and set up a final floor vote on Tuesday.

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