BY WESLEY P. HESTER

The Family Foundation of Virginia lent its support to abortion center regulations proposed by the state’s Department of Health.

Earlier this year, the General Assembly passed legislation mandating that abortion clinics be regulated as hospitals.

Among other things, the requirements — which will be voted on by the state’s Board of Health on Sept. 15 — would regulate facilities’ room sizes, allow for surprise inspections, require doctors to stay on premises until women are discharged and provide emergency care.

If approved, the new regulations would go into effect Jan. 1, 2012.

Chris Freund, vice president of The Family Foundation, said the regulations “would sufficiently improve the health and safety of Virginia’s abortion centers.”

Added Freund: “Despite knee-jerk accusations by the abortion industry that the regulations go too far, we believe that standards…seem wholly reasonable. If these regulations threaten Virginia’s abortion centers, one has to wonder just how bad things have been.”

Abortion-rights groups claim the regulations are an effort to shutter abortion clinics across the state.

Asked about that assertion on WTOP Radio Wednesday, Gov. Bob McDonnell responded was quick to dismiss the notion.

“Well, I don’t think that’s right at all,” he said. “It is in the interest of health. That’s why [the General Assembly] passed it.”

McDonnell added that nothing proposed thus far was set in stone.

“There’s ample time for the public to be involved to give us their input,” he said.

Asked by host Mark Segraves if he might make changes to the regulations before approving them, McDonnell said he hadn’t had a chance to read the 26-page document yet.

“They were posted online, everyone else has read them,” countered Segraves.

“I had a hurricane and an earthquake, Mark. I haven’t read them yet,” McDonnell responded.