Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney Michael N. Herring will investigate whether Virginia law was violated when a Commonwealth Catholic Charities staff member signed a consent form for a 16-year-old Guatemalan girl to have an abortion earlier this year.

Herring said he will try to determine whether the person who signed the consent form had the authority to do so. If the employee did not, she could be charged with a Class 3 misdemeanor and face up to $500 fine.

American Life League, a pro-file Washington-based organization, asked Herring to investigate the matter, but he had decided to look into it before that request, he said in an interview this morning.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services also has launched a similar investigation.

In March, Commonwealth Catholic Charities fired four employees for their involvement in assisting the teenage girl under their care to have an abortion in mid January.

Last week, it was made public that Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo and Commonwealth Catholic Charities' Executive Director Joanne D. Nattrass knew about planned abortion the day before it happened. They said they were told by employees that there was nothing they could do.

-- Juan Antonio Lizama