Dunnavant Voted Against Repealing A Law Requiring Mandatory Ultrasounds And A 24-Hour Waiting Period For Abortions. Dunnavant voted against SB733 which, according to WHSV, repealed “Virginia’s mandatory ultrasound law and 24-hour waiting period prior to abortion. The bills also roll back restrictions on women's health centers, which Democrats said were designed to force centers that provide abortions to close.” [SB 733, floor vote, 3/02/20; WHSV, 4/10/20]
Dunnavant Voted Against A Bill To Eliminate Procedure Requirements Including An Ultrasound Prior To Receiving An Abortion. [HB 980, floor vote, 2/24/20]
Dunnavant Voted For A Bill To Ban Abortion After 20 Weeks With No Exceptions For Rape Or Incest. In the Education and Health Committee, Dunnavant voted for SB710 that, according to 13 News Now, would “ban abortions once a pregnancy reaches 20 weeks. […] The bill says it will only allow exceptions if the person needs an abortion to avoid death or an irreversible health problem, but it does not mention any exception for rape or incest.” [SB710, filed 1/21/22; 13 News Now, 1/24/22]
Dunnavant Voted Against Removing Language Classifying Abortion Providers As Hospitals For The Purpose Of Complying With Regulations Establishing Minimum Standards For Hospitals. [HB 980, floor vote, 2/24/20]
Dunnavant Supported A 15-Week Abortion Ban. According to The Washington Post, “Dunnavant said she supports legal abortion for any reason up to 15 weeks — and after that in cases of rape and incest, when the mother’s life (but not her mental or physical health) is at risk, and in cases of severe fetal anomalies. But she would put a time limit on those exceptions, supporting abortion in those cases only up to the point of viability, which she says ranges from 22 to 24 weeks of gestation. After that point, she said doctors, while prioritizing the mother’s life, should deliver the baby rather than abort. Delivery — typically by C-section in an emergency — would put the mother at no greater physical risk than abortion, she said.” [Washington Post, 06/12/23]
Dunnavant Called Virginia’s Abortion Law “Extreme.” According to Richmond Times-Dispatch, “As a practicing ob-gyn for more than 25 years, I have cared for women facing enormously complex challenges, like parenting alone or mothers who desperately want to hold a healthy child but face an inconceivable complication. I’m never surprised, but often I am humbled by their fortitude and grace. After the Dobbs decision, people started asking me what we should do. I think many were shocked to learn that current Virginia law allows for an abortion up until birth. I’ve learned by listening with compassion that my position on abortion is similar to a vast majority of Virginians — it is deeply personal, rooted in my faith, and shaped by my lived experiences. I’ve also learned that in the case of abortion, Virginians don’t want extreme to be our law. Unfortunately, our current law on abortion is just that — allowing an abortion up until birth for more reasons than just the life of the mother. It is important to note these laws were written in 1975, and in no way reflect the remarkable advancements in prenatal and neonatal medicine that have drastically altered the age of viability, which was a cornerstone of Roe v. Wade.” [Richmond Times-Dispatch, 01/19/23]
Dunnavant Sponsored A Bill That Restricted Abortion Access. According to WRIC, “State Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant (R-Henrico), a practicing OB-GYN for more than 25 years, is proposing to cut the window for abortion in Virginia. Under current state law, abortions are allowed up until the end of the second trimester of pregnancy — or about 26 weeks — and only after that point when three doctors conclude it would likely ‘result in the death of the woman or substantially and irremediably impair the mental or physical health of the woman.’ A bill sponsored by Sen. Dunnavant would limit abortions to ‘during the second trimester’ and before viability — when a fetus can survive outside the womb — defined in the legislation as 24 weeks or more or ‘in the estimation of three doctors,’ but at least 22 weeks.” [WRIC, 01/19/23]
Dunnavant Voted For A Bill That Would End State Funding For Planned Parenthood. According to the American Independent, “An opponent of abortion rights, Dunnavant voted for a 2017 bill that would have stripped all state funding for Planned Parenthood and other groups that provide abortion care. Planned Parenthood offers free and low-cost birth control medications for many Virginians.” [American Independent, 07/25/23]