02/15/2012

Washington– The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, today spoke out strongly against the Virginia legislature that has proven itself out of control with bills that dramatically reduce the rights of women to exercise control over their own bodies, outlaws many contraceptives, and sets a dangerous precedent for the role of government in individual’s private lives. The legislature also recently passed a law that would allow adoption agencies the ability to discriminate in placing children on the basis of the prospective parents’ sexual orientation.  HRC President Joe Solmonese issued the following statement:

“HRC strongly opposes any legislation aimed at restricting women's control over their bodies. The acts of the Virginia legislature yesterday threaten to criminalize doctors and clinics that provide in vitro fertilization services, because many embryos are never successfully implanted and are later destroyed. The legislation is particularly malicious toward LGBT prospective parents because in vitro fertilization is a path to parenthood for many.

“Many types of birth control could be unobtainable if the bill passes. This means that lesbians, bisexual women, and transgender men may no longer have access to effective methods of addressing health problems ranging from abnormal menstrual cycles to rare blood diseases.

“The broader effect of this insidious legislation is to regulate private sexual conduct by imposing one segment of the population’s moral views upon everyone. A win on this bill would likely embolden efforts to control other aspects of Americans’ private sexual conduct - especially for the LGBT community.”

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.