CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The House of Delegates minority leader stands behind the state Attorney General’s probe into the oversight and regulation of West Virginia abortion clinics. Delegate Tim Armstead of Kanawha County isn’t afraid to admit he’s pro-life. However, Armstead said criticism of the Attorney General Patrick Morrisey’s recent action is a separate issue.
“To say that I am not going to do that and not going to continue that fight (to end abortion) I can’t say that,” said Armstead. “At the same time, I think there is a separate issue here. As long as abortions are required by law to be legal, there needs to be oversight to insure the procedure doesn’t harm the woman.”
Pro-Choice activities staged a demonstration at the State Capitol last week against Morrisey who has been seeking information and reviewing what policies and regulations the state requires of clinics performing the procedures. Some accuse Morrisey of using the review as a stepping stone toward limiting and ultimately getting rid of abortions.
“We very closely regulate medical procedures in other areas, but our laws are deficient in the area of abortion clinics,” Armstead said. “I”m not for huge regulation, but if there’s one area that needs to be regulated it’s insuring people aren’t harmed by inadequate or improper healthcare.”
Morrisey’s action followed shocking revelations in a Philadelphia trial. Testimony indicated an abortion doctor literally killed live babies moments after the were removed from the womb when the abortion procedure filed.
“We’ve seen nightmare situations nationally,” said Armstead. “I think what the Attorney General and several members of the legislature want to do is we don’t want an opening for those kinds of things to occur here.”