RICHMOND, VA – In wake of the leaked judicial decision indicating the Supreme Court of the United States is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, today Democrats in the Virginia House of Delegates lead an historic offensive to ensure abortion access remains protected in Virginia. By a 51-45 margin, House Republicans killed the enabling resolution, denying Virginians – the majority of whom believe abortion should be legal – the opportunity to vote on a constitutional amendment to enshrine abortion rights into the Virginia Constitution.
In response, House Democratic Leader Don Scott said, “Today, Democrats stood up to safeguard fundamental bodily autonomy for all Virginians, while Republicans continued their dangerous campaign against reproductive freedom. Democrats are united in fighting to make sure that, here in Virginia, an individual’s personal decisions about their own reproductive health are theirs alone. Reproductive rights in the Commonwealth are more threatened than ever. The good news is that most Virginians agree with us — and we’ll never back down.”
Caucus Chair Charniele Herring said, “Today is a continuation of Virginia Republicans’ campaign against reproductive Justice. Governor Youngkin has proposed a cruel, dangerous amendment that will restrict access to abortion for low-income Virginians even in cases of fetal nonviability. Governor Youngkin is out of step with the majority of Virginians who support reproductive freedom.”