UPDATE: Personhood bill passes VA Senate committee

HB1, commonly referred to as the Personhood Bill, having been passed by the House of Delegates, is now on to the Senate for review. It has passed its first hurdle, namely being passed by the Senate Committee for Education and Health. They passed the same bill as the House with the same amendment, specifying protection for contraception.

The bill passed the committee with a vote of 8-7, strictly along party lines. It will now be heard by the full Senate. If the Senate follows the same timeline as the House then a vote in the Senate can be expected in the next week or so (There's two more weeks left in the session). The Republicans and Democrats each hold 20 seats in the Senate, with Lt Gov. Bill Bolling having the tie breaking vote. While neither he nor Governor McDonnell have said whether they would vote and/or sign the bill, both have proven to be decidedly pro-life in the past, which would suggest they may look favorably on the bill should it pass.