ABINGDON, Va. (WJHL) — The Washington County, Virginia Board of Supervisors has passed an ordinance to restrict the location of abortion clinics in the county.
Board members on Tuesday voted 5–2 on the measure, which restricts abortion clinics to certain business zoning districts.
It also prohibits an abortion clinic from being located within 1,500 feet of churches, schools, public parks, and other zoning districts.
While abortion is still legal in Virginia, it is illegal in neighboring Tennessee. That prompted the region’s only abortion clinic, Bristol Regional Women’s Center, to relocate from Bristol, Tennessee to Bristol, Virginia.
Board members Randy Pennington, Charlie Hargis, Wayne Stevens, Saul Hernandez, and Dwayne Ball voted for the ordinance. Phillip McCall and Mike Rush voted against it.
