Virginia's state Senate has killed House Bill 1, the so-called personhood bill, just hours after a Senate committee gave its approval.
Abortion rights protestors chanted "Shame on you!" at Republican Delegate Bob Marshall following that Senate committee victory. Personhood defines life as beginning at conception. Marshall says it would have given legal rights to the unborn.
"This is what we tell third graders: human life begins, sperm in ovum. Is that illegal? I don't think so," Marshall said.
By a party line 8-to-7 vote, the committee agreed, but the full senate did not. They voted to recommit the bill back to committee for the year, essentially killing the legislation.
"We are the laughing stock of the world," Democratic Senator Mamie Locke said. "I personally resent being told because I'm pro-choice that I'm pro-abortion."
Before it died, the health panel disagreed on whether the bill would inadvertently outlaw infertility treatments like in vitro fertilization. They amended one line that protected "lawfully consisted conception" and changed it to just "lawful conception." That didn't please Democrats who still believed it would have unintended consequences.
"If something goes wrong during the pregnancy or in delivery, she is subject to everything from battery to involuntary manslaughter," Democratic Delegate Jennifer McClellan said.
Marshall's morning victory only lasted a few hours. "We're having a values battle in this country between the sanctity of life effort, and the quality of life effort. That's what this is about," he said.
That same Senate health panel also approved a bill that requires women seeking an abortion first get an abdominal ultrasound, and another that repeals a mandate that girls get the human papillomavirus vaccine. Those bills now head to the full Senate for a vote.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A bill that would define life as starting at conception is dead for this year in Virginia.
The Senate voted 24-14 Thursday to send the so-called "personhood" bill back to committee and carry it over to 2013.
Senate Democratic Leader Richard Saslaw made the motion to shelve the bill, and Republican leader Tommy Norment supported it, saying more study is needed.
The vote came hours after the Senate Education and Health Committee endorsed the measure on an 8-7 party-line vote, with Democrats voting against it. At least three times, the committee chairman, threatened to have police remove opponents of the bill after they spoke out during debate.
The committee earlier approved a bill requiring pre-abortion external ultrasound exams. It was amended to eliminate procedures requiring an invasive ultrasound probe.
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