More information is surfacing justifying abortion clinic regulations and enforcement in Virginia.
Abortion clinic owners have been fighting against the establishment of new rules and inspections, saying they are not necessary. Virginia Cobb of the Family Foundation in Virginia says evidence proves the contrary.
"You know there have been now some inspections of some of the clinics because of emergency regulations, and it is just shocking to see that we have bloody patient tables, untrained staff and unsanitized equipment from an industry that claimed all along that they are safe and there is no need to regulate," says Cobb.
As Cobb points out, the clinics have gone uninspected for two and a half decades, but the new regulations, which have yet to go into effect, will be helpful.
"They are very strong on safety," Cobb reports about the new regs. "They are even stronger on construction standards, making sure that these facilities, for example, have hallways wide enough for a gurney if there's an emergency or an elevator for a paramedic crew to be able to get someone to an emergency facility. So we do feel good about what's being passed."
The new standards still have a few hoops to go through before going into effect.