Well, isn’t this a shocker?
A PAC affiliated with the Susan B. Anthony List says in an ad that McAuliffe opposed new regulations that would “require women’s health clinics to provide the same sanitary environment we expect of dental offices.”
McAuliffe did oppose new regulations that were approved for abortion clinics earlier this month. But it is ridiculous to imply that these rules elevate the sanitary standards for clinics to those of dental offices.
Abortion clinics will be held to hospital building codes, must comply with with federal guidelines for infection prevention and will be inspected at least once every two years. Dental offices do not have to meet any of these guidelines and will continue to be inspected only in response to a complaint.
Without any evidence, the PAC has launched a misleading ad that trivializes very significant and polarizing changes Virginia has made to the way it regulates abortion clinics.
We rate this claim Pants on Fire.
What is the Susan B. Anthony list? Well, for starters, it “has a long history of waging war on women’s rights and healthcare, from their support of radical ‘personhood’ legislation to their fight to ban access to abortion in all cases – including rape, incest, and danger to the life of the mother.” They also defended (e.g., ran a TV ad) Indiana Republican U.S. Senate candidate Richard Mourdock after his comments about pregnancies resulting from rape being a “gift from god,” and stood by Missouri Republican U.S. Senate candidate Todd Akin after his “legitimate rape” comments. Now, this extremist group – which has also been labeled “Pants on Fire” liars for their “ridiculous” claims about right-wing efforts to close down Virginia women’s health clinics – has enthusiastically endorsed Ken Cuccinelli for governor of Virginia, in large part because of his “leadership in defending the unborn” (translation: his efforts to outlaw abortion altogether). How much does the extremist Susan B. Anthony List love Ken Cuccinelli? Enough to pledge $1.5 million to help elect him. That pretty much says it all.
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