On the anniversary of the Dobbs v. Jackson decision that overturned Roe v. Wade and stripped away the federal constitutional right to abortion, Virginia House Democrats issued the following statement:
“Three years ago today, the Supreme Court overturned a constitutional right that had been settled law for nearly 50 years—robbing millions of women, and generations to come, of the basic freedom to control their own bodies and health care decisions.
Since then, we’ve seen the real life consequences of letting politicians—not women and their doctors—control their reproductive care: women forced to cross state lines for basic care, denied life-saving treatment, and dying because of political interference in private medical decisions.
This is what happens when lawmakers put politics over people—and it’s exactly what we’re fighting to prevent in Virginia, the last remaining southern state without an abortion ban or restrictions.
That distinction is not a coincidence—it’s because House Democrats have held the line. But make no mistake: the threat to reproductive freedom is still very real.
Virginia Republicans, who have already tried to ban abortion once before, have made it clear they’ll stop at nothing to take away a woman’s right to bodily autonomy—including access to contraception and IVF.
That’s why House Democrats took action and passed HJ1— the first step toward enshrining the right to abortion, contraception, and fertility treatment, in Virginia’s Constitution. And it’s why expanding our Democratic House majority and electing Abigail Spanberger as our next governor this November is so critical. The future of reproductive freedom in Virginia—and across the south–depends on it.
Virginians deserve to make their own healthcare decisions. It’s time to take that right out of the hands of politicians and put it where it belongs—on the ballot in 2026.”