RICHMOND, Va.— A Republican legislator has pre-filed a bill in the General Assembly this week that would count a fetus as a second person for the use of HOV lanes.
Del. Nicholas Freitas (R-Culpeper) introduced HB1894which states, "a pregnant woman shall be considered two people for the purposes of determining occupancy in HOV and HOT lanes."
The bill would require a pregnant woman to have "proof of her pregnancy" and certify her pregnancy with the Virginia Department of Transportation.
It states VDOT would have to establish a process where a pregnant woman can certify that she is pregnant and link that information to her E-ZPass.
The bill does not specify what is deemed proof of pregnancy.
Last year, a pregnant woman in Texas sparked a nationwide conversation on whether or not an unborn child counts as a second person to use HOV lanes since the Texas penal code recognizes an unborn child as a person.
