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Delegate jokes around about ultrasound bill

Posted at 4:16 PM, Feb 28, 2012
and last updated 2012-02-28 16:16:22-05

A controversial bill, requiring a transvaginal ultrasound before abortion, divided the House and Senate, last week, and also garnered national attention.  It also apparently divided the house, or bedroom, of one legislator, Del. David Albo (R-Fairfax Station). In the above video Albo describes how his wife rejected sex with him after hearing about the bill.

According to the video, Albo’s wife turned a cold shoulder to him after she heard colleague, and bill opponent, Del. David Englin (D-Alexandria) criticize the bill on television.

Albo, who jokes about how rich he is while boasting about the size of his 46″ TV, starts describing his intimate plans ahead for the evening.

“So I thought, wow, the boys in bed, wife here, tv (he winks) got Rita some red wine,” he said, trailing off as he cued-up some mood music. Albo continued to describe the seduction of his wife. His colleagues chuckled at the details.

Then Albo laments how-flipping through the TV channels-the lovebirds hear Albo’s name in connection with the ultrasound bill.

Englin was speaking against the bill, on the Rachel Maddow show on MSNBC.

“He’s going ‘trans-v this and trans-v that, and they hate women,'” said Albo.

What happened next, according to Albo’s account, was the mood turned sour, the warm bed turned cold, and his wife put the brakes on the evening.

“The show’s over, and she looks at me and says, ‘I gotta go to bed,'” Albo said, as legislative laughter rumbled heartily-along with applause–throughout the chamber.

“So if the gentleman’s plan was to make sure there was one less Republican in the world, he did,” Albo said. “So, I expect an apology from him later in person on the House floor.”

The controversial abortion-ultrasound bill, SB484, was stricken from the Senate calendar by a vote on Friday. Gov. Bob McDonnell said that the procedure wasn’t constitutional, and that changes must be made to the bill before he would sign.

“Mandating an invasive procedure in order to give informed consent is not a proper role for the state,” said McDonnell. [Read the full story here]

Around the web, the feedback is mixed. Some applaud Albo’s sense of humor through what some consider a tumultuous time at the Capitol.  Others question the speech as a waste of time, and were offended by Albo’s tone and manner towards such a controversial bill.