It wouldn't be the first time Virginia had a fit of reactionary excess. Way back in the 50s, Harry Byrd decided to stake his reputation on rolling back civil rights legislation with a foolhardy campaign called Massive Resistance. Fortunately, he failed miserably, but not before he managed to block black children from receiving a public school education for nearly a generation. Trying to roll back women's rights by denying them access to contraceptives and by declaring a single celled zygote the equivalent of a person legally reeks of the same good old boy silliness. Half a century ago, Virginia played the dunce nationally, causing unnecessary hardship for thousands of afro americans and winning the opprobrium of the nation. Times have changed since then, of course, but the General Assembly of today sounds as if they are still making laws for constiuents of the 1950s. I suspect they are in for a rude awakening.
Here's a song dedicated to Virginia's efforts to make a fool of itself nationally...once again.