Contraception Targeted

Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple’s (D-Alexandria) bill to narrowly define contraception was an effort to thwart what seems to be a growing movement of the anti-abortionists to outlaw contraception. But an anti-abortionist Senate colleague, Sen. Jeannemarie Devolites Davis (R-Fairfax and wife of “moderate” Congressman Tom Davis), added an amendment that effectively neutered the bill. So Whipple plans to pull it.

Whipple said Monday she had no choice but withdraw her legislation after it was amended during floor debate to expand her tightly drawn definition of contraception.

"In fact, it may be more dangerous to abortion rights now because it would put an inadequate definition into the code," said Whipple, D-Arlington.

Her bill would legally define contraception as the prevention of the union of sperm and egg or implantation of an egg in the uterine wall.

Commonly prescribed birth-control pills prevent pregnancy through both means. Abortion opponents who contend life begins at conception insist that denying a fertilized egg the opportunity to attach itself to the womb and develop as a fetus is a form of abortion.

Whipple's bill and a companion measure by Del. Kristin Amundson, D-Fairfax County, would head off anti-abortion groups' efforts to classify birth control pills as a form of abortion. That could subject obtaining the pills, intrauterine devices and other forms of birth-control to Virginia's growing list of abortion restrictions, including parental notification and consent for girls under 18.

Anti-abortionists deny the threat.

Victoria Cobb, the executive director of the Family Foundation of Virginia, said Whipple's bill was an attempt to "replace common sense with politics" and said the suggestion that abortion foes want to deny access to contraception is absurd.

"This bill is an attempt by pro-abortion advocates to divert attention from the public debate over when life begins -- a debate they are losing," Cobb said in a two-paragraph statement.

Devolites-Davis claims she supports contraception, but others wonder.

Sen. Janet Howell said the amendment would make it more difficult _ and in some small towns impossible _ for women to obtain legally prescribed birth control pills.

"If you were to ask people, as I have been doing for the last several days, what's contraception, what's interesting is they don't give you a definition, they give you an example. They tell you, 'It's the birth control pill,' or 'It's the IUD,'" said Howell, D-Fairfax County.

The Devolites-Davis amendment opens the way to define those methods as abortion, Howell argued. That could force women in rural areas to drive for miles to get birth control prescriptions filled should local pharmacists who oppose abortion refuse to dispense the pills on grounds that they constitute abortion, she said.

The folks at The Virginia Progressive are following this issue. They point to a bill introduced by Del. Bob Marshall (R-Woodbridge), the nut case, that is summarized thusly:

Creates a Class 6 felony to provide a minor with a contraceptive or contraceptive device if the person knows or has reason to believe that the minor is engaging in sexual relations with a person three or more years older than the minor.

You break the law if you provide contraception to a girl who is being statutorily raped.

Here’s the vote on the Devolites amendment:

YEAS--Bell, Blevins, Bolling, Chichester, Colgan, Cuccinelli, Devolites Davis, Hanger, Hawkins, Martin, Mims, Norment, Obenshain, O'Brien, Rerras, Ruff, Stolle, Stosch, Wagner, Wampler, Watkins--21.

NAYS--Deeds, Edwards, Houck, Howell, Lambert, Locke, Lucas, Marsh, Miller, Potts, Puckett, Puller, Quayle, Reynolds, Saslaw, Ticer, Whipple--17.

RULE 36--Newman--1. (Apparently means an abstention due to a conflict of interest)

NOT VOTING--Williams--1.

Note Dem Sen. Chuck Colgan (Manassas) voted to neuter the bill whereas Republicans Sens. Russ Potts (Winchester) and Fred Quayle (Chesapeake) voted not to. Otherwise, it was a party line vote.