A perennial bill to require state licensing and regulation of abortion clinics gained preliminary approval Monday in the House of Delegates.

HB 393, sponsored by Del. Matthew Lohr, R-Harrisonburg, would require the clinics to abide by the same rules as ambulatory surgical centers. They would have to get a license from the Board of Health, be subject to periodic inspections and keep emergency lifesaving equipment on the premises.

Arguing against the bill, Del. David Englin, D-Alexandria, said the measure is intended to single out and harass one type of medical provider and represents an assault on women's reproductive freedom.

The bill was approved on a voice vote. Similar measures have passed the House before but died in the Senate.

Another bill, HB 1042, sponsored by Del. Kathy Byron, R-Campbell County, would require that a woman seeking an abortion undergo an ultrasound procedure and be given an opportunity to see the image of the fetus before the abortion.

Byron said her bill would give women "a real choice, an informed choice," and would lead to safer abortions. The measure was approved Monday in a House subcommittee.