Virginia delegate presents a bill allowing abortion in all 9 months for mental health

(This information also available as a Facebook post here.)

Pro-choice people can’t believe we would suggest that certain abortion laws legalize abortion for non-physical reasons all the way up until birth. But here is video of Virginia Delegate Kathy Tran stating that is exactly what her proposed bill would do. Partial transcript below.

(Chairman) Gilbert: So how late in the third trimester would you be able to do that?

Tran: It’s very unfortunate that our physician witnesses were not able to attend today to speak specifically…

Gilbert: No, I’m talking about your bill. How late in the third trimester could a physician perform an abortion if he indicated it would impair the mental health of the woman?

Tran: Or physical health.

Gilbert: Okay. I’m talking about the mental health.

Tran: So, I mean, through the third trimester. The third trimester goes all the way up to 40 weeks.

Gilbert. Okay, but to the end of the third trimester?

Tran: Yep. I don’t think we have a limit in the bill.

Gilbert: So where it’s obvious that a woman is about to give birth. She has physical signs that she is about to give birth. Would that still be a point at which she could request an abortion if she was so certified? She’s dilating.

Tran: Mr. Chairman, that would be a decision that the doctor, the physician and the woman would make at that point.

Gilbert: I understand that. I’m asking if your bill allows that?

Tran: My bill would allow that, yes.

…

Gilbert: What type of mental health conditions would you anticipate would be utilized by physicians under these circumstances to determine that a child that is otherwise viable is worthy of an abortion?

Tran: You know, again I’m not a physician, so I can’t make those calls as to when a physician would determine that a woman’s mental health, you know, where they would be able to certify an abortion at that point.

Gilbert: But the doctor, the physician, wouldn’t have to have any specialized training in mental health to make that determination under your bill, right?

Tran: Under this bill, no.

…

Gilbert: Delegate Tran, what are some of the conditions that a woman could be experiencing in a third trimester late-term pregnancy for which an abortion and not delivery would be the optimal result to protect either her life or health or that of the child, if that’s even an interest? What would be the–is there any commonly accepted medical decision to terminate the pregnancy in the late-term? Other than deliver the child? If the mother’s health or life is actually in danger?

Tran: I’m aware that there are certain medical conditions where that might be an option for the mother, and I would actually turn over to Galina (sp) from NARAL to see if she has those specific medical examples.

NARAL lobbyist: So hi. I don’t have a lot of specific examples because I’m not a physician, I’m an attorney, so we unfortunately do not have, the physicians could not be here today because they are seeing patients at the moment. I know that there are certain central nervous system anomalies that cannot be determined until later stages in the pregnancy. I also know that certain anomalies like the absence of certain organs…

Gilbert: Okay, so you’re talking about the child. Let me just leave that out of the equation then. In terms of the health or life of the mother, what conditions are there that can’t be resolved by delivering the child rather than undergoing an abortion?

NARAL lobbyist: Again, I am not a physician. I can point to a case that happened in Ireland. That’s the first one that comes to my mind that I’d be happy to find for you and send you the article about. I can send you that article, and if you’ll give me some time I can ask our physicians to provide you with a list of maladies that can lead to a woman having to have an abortion at the late stage of pregnancy. I do know that those cases exist.

Gilbert: But you don’t know what they are?

NARAL lobbyist: Like I said, not a physician. I do not have those specifics about the woman. I have some specifics about the fetus. I do not have specifics about the woman.

Gilbert: And again since you yielded, you don’t have any specifics on that, obviously.

Tran: No, I don’t.