Since taking office, Virginia Attorney General and GOP Christo-fascist-in-chief Ken Cuccinelli has engaged in a pattern of efforts to subvert the civil laws of Virginia to further his own Opus Dei type of religious views. His companion in this effort is GOP Del. Bob Marshall - a co-author of Virginia's anti-gay marriage amendment to the state's constitution, who sets the stage by submitting what can only be pre-arranged questions to the Attorney General's Office in order that Cuccinelli, a/k/a Kookinelli, can issue an AG opinion that moves Virginia backwards in time, enshrines Christianist religious views, and limits the civil rights of gays, immigrants, and non-whites who are disliked by the Christian Taliban in Virginia and which quite obviously seek to further Cuccinelli's personal religious views which are extreme to say the least. Many of us - this blog included - recognized that Cuccinelli's election would not bode well for those who support civil liberties. Cuccinelli is Exhibit 1 as to why Democrats cannot allow far right candidates to get off emphasizing their alleged pro-business views while hiding their real theocratic agenda. Congressional GOP candidate Scott Rigell is a Cuccinelli clone and so far has been allowed to masquerade as a conservative pro-business candidate. One has to wonder when the majority of Virginians (and Americans) are going to wake up to the real agenda of individuals like Cuccinelli and Rigell who care absolutely nothing for the rights of the majority and who hold religious extremist views akin to that of the Taliban. Cuccinelli's latest effort with Del. Marshall is to make a direct attack on abortion providers since Marshall and Cuccinelli's goal is to make abortion illegal in Virginia. The Atlantic has a timely article that looks at Cuccinelli's latest effort to force his religious views on all Virginians. I am not pro-abortion by any means. However, unlike Cuccinelli, I understand that I do not have the right to force my beliefs on all citizens. Here are highlights:
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Virginia abortion rights advocates saw it coming. After Ken Cuccinelli, a rising Republican star known for his hard-line stances on most social issues, was elected state attorney general last year, they knew it was only a matter of time before he zeroed in on abortion.
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Earlier this week, Cuccinelli issued a legal opinion advising the state of Virginia to tighten regulation of abortion clinics, holding them to the same standards as hospitals. Abortion-rights groups believe that these regulations would force the majority of the state's clinics out of business.
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While he was a Virginia state senator, Cuccinelli pushed for the passage of stringent new regulation of abortion clinics. Tarina Keene, the executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia, explained that Cuccinelli's previous efforts were stymied by a slim Democratic majority in the state Senate that blocked his proposals from reaching the floor. She is not surprised that he is using his current post to try to circumvent the legislature to achieve his longstanding goals.
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Cuccinelli's opinion is not binding; it merely advises the Board of Health, the state's medical regulator, that it has the ability to regulate facilities that provide first-term abortions. If the board takes Cuccinelli's cue, it will have to open new regulations to public comment and consult with the governor and secretary of health. Such a process would take up to two years.
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If the board were to follow Cuccinelli's advice, the state's 21 abortion clinics would be subject to the same requirements as hospitals. In order to comply, they would have to undergo structural renovations and obtain staff members with new qualifications. The cost of these requirements would, Virginia abortion rights advocates estimate, put 17 of the state's 21 clinics out of business.
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"We predict it's about $1.5 to $2 million per clinic in extra cost," Keene said. "It's just crazy. And the thing is, it's really just designed to shut these places down. It has nothing to do with medical care."
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She pointed to other outpatient offices performing procedures such as colonoscopies, breast augmentations, and rhinoplasty. "These types of procedures have a much higher complication rate than abortion. [First-trimester abortion] is one of the most common procedures, and it's one of the safest procedures," Keene said. "It's interesting that they are not targeting these other surgeries. It's only abortion clinics -- that's why we call this TRAP."
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He [Cuccinelli] has been hailed as a Tea Party star and champion of social conservatives. "Cuccinelli is a crusader," Keene said. "When it comes to abortion, or gay rights, or any other social issue, he takes up the charge and leads the fight on it. He did it in the House, in the Senate, and now as attorney general. I don't think that this is the last opinion about abortion that we will see coming from this attorney general."
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I don't like to wish something ill on people, but Virginia would be far better off if Cuccinelli were to be removed from office. The sooner, the better. The big question is when will Virginians wake up and demand Cuccinelli be reined in and removed from office. The man is a menace to religious freedom in Virginia.
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Virginia abortion rights advocates saw it coming. After Ken Cuccinelli, a rising Republican star known for his hard-line stances on most social issues, was elected state attorney general last year, they knew it was only a matter of time before he zeroed in on abortion.
*
Earlier this week, Cuccinelli issued a legal opinion advising the state of Virginia to tighten regulation of abortion clinics, holding them to the same standards as hospitals. Abortion-rights groups believe that these regulations would force the majority of the state's clinics out of business.
*
While he was a Virginia state senator, Cuccinelli pushed for the passage of stringent new regulation of abortion clinics. Tarina Keene, the executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia, explained that Cuccinelli's previous efforts were stymied by a slim Democratic majority in the state Senate that blocked his proposals from reaching the floor. She is not surprised that he is using his current post to try to circumvent the legislature to achieve his longstanding goals.
*
Cuccinelli's opinion is not binding; it merely advises the Board of Health, the state's medical regulator, that it has the ability to regulate facilities that provide first-term abortions. If the board takes Cuccinelli's cue, it will have to open new regulations to public comment and consult with the governor and secretary of health. Such a process would take up to two years.
*
If the board were to follow Cuccinelli's advice, the state's 21 abortion clinics would be subject to the same requirements as hospitals. In order to comply, they would have to undergo structural renovations and obtain staff members with new qualifications. The cost of these requirements would, Virginia abortion rights advocates estimate, put 17 of the state's 21 clinics out of business.
*
"We predict it's about $1.5 to $2 million per clinic in extra cost," Keene said. "It's just crazy. And the thing is, it's really just designed to shut these places down. It has nothing to do with medical care."
*
She pointed to other outpatient offices performing procedures such as colonoscopies, breast augmentations, and rhinoplasty. "These types of procedures have a much higher complication rate than abortion. [First-trimester abortion] is one of the most common procedures, and it's one of the safest procedures," Keene said. "It's interesting that they are not targeting these other surgeries. It's only abortion clinics -- that's why we call this TRAP."
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He [Cuccinelli] has been hailed as a Tea Party star and champion of social conservatives. "Cuccinelli is a crusader," Keene said. "When it comes to abortion, or gay rights, or any other social issue, he takes up the charge and leads the fight on it. He did it in the House, in the Senate, and now as attorney general. I don't think that this is the last opinion about abortion that we will see coming from this attorney general."
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I don't like to wish something ill on people, but Virginia would be far better off if Cuccinelli were to be removed from office. The sooner, the better. The big question is when will Virginians wake up and demand Cuccinelli be reined in and removed from office. The man is a menace to religious freedom in Virginia.
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