Virginia Regulatory Town Hall
Agency
Virginia Department of Health
 
Board
State Board of Health
 
chapter
Regulations for Licensure of Abortion Facilities [12 VAC 5 ‑ 412]
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7/30/14  8:15 am
Commenter: Timothy Olmsted

12VAC5--412 Regulations for the Licensure of Abortion Facilities
 

These regulations were enacted to enforce the plain text meaning of law passed by the general assembly.  It seems that it is the policy of new administrations to regulate disliked laws out of existence rather than enforce the laws as written.  As a result, the rule of law is replaced with a rule by executive fiat.  This sets the dangerous precedent that the laws are whatever the governor says they are.  If a governor is unwilling to enforce and uphold all of the laws as written to the best of his ability, he ought to be removed from office by the force of the legislature.  Otherwise, respect for the law suffers and people who see the blatant politicization of law enforcement may decide that there is no law except the rule of force.  
Rather, if the governor disagrees with a law, he should make a rather large fiasco out of enforcing it to demonstrate the absurdity of its enforcement to coerce the legislature into repeal.
This regulation should stand until the general assembly changes the law.  

CommentID: 34426