The "War" on Virginia Women

Women's issues have been in the forefront during this election cycle. The Republicans have been accused of carrying on a "war" against women, a charge they and their supporters strongly deny.  Is there any truth to this accusation?  To find out, one has to look beneath the hype and pay attention to what the candidates have actually said and done.  When the public record is examined, it becomes clear that Del. Barbara Comstock, running for reelection in the 34th District, in both word and deed is promoting a campaign against women that is not only extreme but lacking in compassion.

Barbara Comstock has spoken at length about her initiative to provide information to women about breast density and its impact on cancer risk.  All well and good, but where are women supposed to get this information?  According to Del. Comstock, not from Planned Parenthood or health clinics whose services include abortions. Del. Comstock has repeatedly voted to to defund Planned Parenthood and supported the bill to effectively close down any health clinic offering abortion services by holding them to the same standards as hospitals.  She supported these bills despite the fact that not all Planned Parenthood clinics even offer abortion services, and for those that do, these services may comprise less than 3% of their total services.  So, consistent with her extreme views, Del. Comstock wants to close health clinics that provide affordable, basic health care services to women, including cancer screenings, mammograms, and birth control, simply because they might also offer abortion services.  Right now, in Virginia, you can get a face lift or a knee replacement in a clinic held to lesser standards.  Because of the views of legislators like Del. Comstock, many Virginia women will be without the most basic health care.

Here are some other votes that Del. Comstock, consistent with her extreme views, has cast:  
     *Voted to force women to submit to a transvaginal ultrasound    before an abortion procedure.
     *Voted to ban contraception.
     *Voted to repeal the requirement of a Human Papillomavirus Vaccine (HPV) for 6th grade girls, thus exposing them to a greater risk of cervical cancer.
     *Voted to prohibit the use of Medicaid benefits to pay for abortions, even in the case of fetuses that a physician certifies will be born with a "totally incapacitating" physical deformity or mental deficiency.

Although a women's right to abortion services and contraception are guaranteed by law, Del. Comstock's record shows that she consistently supports legislation that makes those services unavailable to such an extent as to constitute a complete ban.  Call it what you will, Del. Comstock's voting record shows that she is working to restrict women's rights, and continuing down the path she has set will have a negative impact on access to health services for all women in Virginia.