For reasons unbeknownst to pro-life Virginians, one of Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s (D-VA) first orders of business was to erase regulations of the state’s abortion clinics.

Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-VA) signed SB 924, often referred to as TRAP, into law last year. The legislation required abortion clinics to be treated as ambulatory surgical centers and upgrade construction at their facilities accordingly. Because of the strict new building regulations, the law has since shuttered a handful of clinics in the state.

McAuliffe, however, is determined to end this trend. In a press conference in May, the governor announced his plans to free Virginia’s abortion clinics from such restrictions.

“I am concerned that the extreme and punitive regulations adopted last year jeopardize the ability of most women’s health centers to keep their doors open and place in jeopardy the health and reproductive rights of Virginia women,” McAuliffe said.

Unfortunately for Virginia women, McAuliffe’s efforts will have potentially opposite effects. See, McAuliffe failed to mention that the safety standards he’s trying to get rid of have revealed more than 300 safety violations in Virginia. One example is the Roanoke Medical Center for Women, which has been charged with disturbing counts of sexual abuse. Reportedly, the clinic allowed minors to have abortions without parental consent, which is illegal in Virginia.

Does this not merit some kind of oversight?

Nevertheless, pro-abortion groups are hailing the governor’s decision to ease the clinic regulations and last week they scored a victory when the Virginia Board of Health decided to amend TRAP restrictions by a vote of 13-2. NARAL Virginia, which has referred to these restrictions as “medically-inappropriate,” celebrated the agency’s decision.

Kermit Gosnell’s ‘House of Horrors’ abortion clinic in Philadelphia went uninspected for over 17 years, in which time Gosnell murdered babies and left at least one patient to die. If the Pennsylvania Department of Health would have taken one step into his clinic and witnessed its filthy conditions, perhaps lives could have been saved. Virginia should take note of this horrifying case and do everything they can to prevent another Gosnell, starting with TRAP.

Thankfully, pro-lifers are ready to fight to have these regulations reinstated. Here’s a picture of concerned citizens filing into the Virginia Board of Health center on December 4 to attend a hearing on the new abortion clinic regulations. It seems pro-abortion advocates showed up as well, but you can clearly see pro-life signs such as, “I Regret My Abortion.”

Here was the line outside the VA Health Dept earlier today. Huge crowd. Topic: altering #abortion regs. #prolife pic.twitter.com/SauT7CYumA

— Cheryl Sullenger (@SullengerCheryl) December 4, 2014

Instead of catering to pro-abortion groups’ demands, McAuliffe, at the very least, should step into one of Virginia’s abortion clinics and see for himself whether or not they deserve to be regulated.