Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe [official website] vetoed legislation [press release] Tuesday that would have defunded Planned Parenthood [advocacy website] and other women’s health providers. HB 2264 [official summary] sought to remove funding from any provider that performed any abortion or abortion related services from receiving any federal funding including medicare coverage. The governor vetoed the bill in hopes of stabilizing health care services.

Pursuant to Article V, Section 6, of the Constitution of Virginia, I veto House Bill 2264, which would prohibit the Virginia Department of Health from entering into contracts or providing funds to any entity that performs non-federally qualified abortions.This bill, aimed at Planned Parenthood, would harm tens of thousands of Virginians who rely on the health care services and programs provided by Planned Parenthood health centers, by denying them access to affordable care. Virginians, and particularly low-income Virginians, need more access to health care, not less.

Reproductive rights are still a heavily contested issue. The US House of Representatives recently approved a bill [JURIST report] that would overturn the Obama administration’s rule prohibiting states from denying federal funding to Planned Parenthood. The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday blocked [JURIST report] enforcement of the Mandatory Delay Law, which requires that a woman wait for 24 hours after receiving counseling from a physician before she can have an abortion. The Pennsylvania Senate last week approved SB 3 [JURIST report], putting Pennsylvania in line to become the seventeenth state to pass a bill banning abortions past 20 weeks.