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Virginia’s new laws governing regulation of the state’s 18 first-trimester abortion clinics will be rewritten. The Virginia Board of Health voted 13-2 Thursday to begin a lengthy regulatory process to amend the stringent requirements enacted during the administration of former Gov. Bob McDonnell, a Republican. (Nolan, 12/4)

The Virginia Board of Health decided Thursday to move forward with a review of rules for abortion clinics, the latest step in a lengthy process that could roll back controversial regulations finalized last year. The move was a victory for Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D), who campaigned on a promise to reverse the rules, which regulate abortion clinics as if they were hospitals by dictating such details as hallway widths and the number of parking spots. Opponents of the regulations say they were intended to block access to abortion by closing down clinics that do not meet the requirements. (Portnoy, 12/4)

The State Board of Health voted Thursday to begin revising Virginia's hotly debated abortion clinic regulations, giving new hope to abortion-rights advocates who argue that the current rules are driven by politics instead of science. The 13-2 vote starts a new regulatory process that could take up to two years. By then, the 15-member board will be dominated by appointees of Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who has vowed to act as a "brick wall" against abortion restrictions. McAuliffe has appointed six board members and will have a chance to replace four more Republican holdovers by June 2016. (O'Dell, 12/4)

The Virginia Board of Health agreed Thursday to revise the state’s abortion clinic regulations, making it likely that requirements that clinics meet the same standards as hospitals will be eased. (Winfield Cunningham, 12/4)