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RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A Republican-controlled state Senate committee has defeated an attempt to repeal a 2012 law requiring a woman seeking an abortion to undergo an ultrasound procedure first.
The Education and Health Committee rejected Sen. Mamie Locke's repeal bill Thursday on an 8-7 party-line vote.
Locke, a Hampton Democrat, called the ultrasound requirement an invasive, medically unnecessary impediment to women seeking a legal medical procedure.
Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe and the Medical Society of Virginia support repeal of the law.
Opponents of repeal, including the conservative Family Foundation of Virginia and the Virginia Catholic Conference, said the ultrasound mandate helps women make an informed choice about undergoing a life-altering procedure.
The committee also rejected a bill to repeal a ban on abortion coverage in insurance plans sold through a health benefits exchange.
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