Virginia AG Rejects Safety Standards at Abortion Clinics

Virginia's attorney general has rejected state standards that called for improved medical safety conditions at abortion clinics.

Democrat Mark Herring said the standards should not apply to existing abortion clinics because that would shut down abortion services.

The new standards treat abortion clinics like hospitals, requiring improvements such as wider doors and hallways to allow access for emergency medical teams.

Herring said those standards should not be followed because they "would impose a de facto abortion ban in Virginia."

Abortion opponents said Herring is playing politics with women's safety, pointing to his track record of following his own political beliefs instead of the law.

For example, Herring took the high-profile step of refusing to defend state law that opposed gay marriage, even joining in the effort to overturn the will of the voters.

"He has proven time and again that he believes he is not bound by the law," said Victoria Cobb, president of the Family Foundation of Virginia.

"This decision will put women who have a medical emergency in an abortion center, a fairly regular occurrence, at risk when emergency personnel can't get to them because the doors and hallways aren't wide enough," Cobb said.