From one extreme to the other we go! Virginia sets the pace for the extreme.

A year ago Richmond legislators voted to allow non-physicians to perform abortions. That means that a registered nurse (RN) with advanced training and education may perform abortions in Virginia. While the writer is an RN and believes dedicated nurses might often be more caring and careful than some physicians may be, there is no way a nurse has the experience and training a doctor has. What happens when that nurse runs into a complication during an abortion? The life of the mother is in his or her hands and what if???

Now listen to the other end of the spectrum: the Oklahoma House passed a bill on March 2 that prevents MEDICAL professionals who are not OB/GYN physicians from performing abortions! Only board-certified obstetricians and gynecologists will be allowed to perform abortions in Oklahoma. Many family-practice doctors and even other physicians currently may perform abortions in many states, but if the bill is passed by their Senate, Oklahoma protects its abortion candidates explicitly (Oklahoma House passes bill preventing non-OB/GYNs from committing abortions (liveaction.org)).

Since other body systems like the brain and kidney need the specialization of the treating physician, why not a woman’s reproductive organs? Yet, Virginia has placed the health and welfare of women seeking an abortion in the hands of nurses who are not certified, licensed physicians.

Caveat emptor! Young women in Virginia need to beware!

— Posted by Tom Salmon for Doris, a fellow member of the Prince William and Manassas Family Alliance