A new report from 19th News details how abortion remains a major issue in Virginia ahead of the November election. This comes as Winsome Earle-Sears, John Reid, Jason Miyares, and Republicans down the ballot advocate for an abortion ban and restrictions on reproductive health care, while Democratic candidates across the Commonwealth will protect reproductive rights and advance a constitutional amendment to codify access to abortion, birth control, and IVF.

“Every chance they get, Republicans attempt to limit women’s reproductive rights, and Virginians know that under their leadership, our Commonwealth will no longer be a haven where women have the right to choose or the right to privacy,” said DPVA Communications Director Kelsey Carolan. “Virginians want to protect their access to essential health care, which is why they will elect our statewide ticket and Democrats down the ballot to not only advance this constitutional amendment, but to continue to fight to protect their freedoms.”

19th News: Abortion policy in Virginia isn’t settled: Why this year’s election is key

• “Jessica Anderson was a freshman in college juggling a full course load and two jobs when her birth control failed. Anderson talked about her options with her partner at the time, as well as her parents, and decided to terminate the pregnancy.” 
• “Navigating the state’s mandatory two-week waiting period was difficult, she recalled, but federal abortion rights ultimately protected her ability to choose an abortion. Anderson went on to have three daughters, and decades later, she credits access to the procedure with paving the way for her future family.” 
• “Anderson is running for one of the most hotly contested seats in the Virginia legislature this November, and she is making the fate of a constitutional amendment to protect reproductive rights in the state a top issue of her campaign.” 
• “Three years after the Supreme Court decision that ended federal abortion rights, voters in 11 states have approved ballot measures to enshrine reproductive rights in their state constitutions. Voters in Virginia could get a chance to weigh in on their own constitutional amendment next year, but the proposed ballot measure will need a green light from the state legislature first.” 
• “[...] Its fate will be decided when the legislature reconvenes in January: If Democrats don’t win control of the Virginia House of Delegates, the measure almost certainly won’t be on the ballot in 2026.”
• “[...] The status of reproductive rights in the state has regional implications given that Virginia is the only state in the South that hasn’t restricted access to abortion since Dobbs. [...]”
• “Virginia is one of the only states with competitive elections this year, and all eyes will be trained on the governor’s race, a matchup between Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and former Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger. Earle-Sears has been vocal about her opposition to abortion, and most recently threw her support behind a 15-week ban. In a 2021 interview, Earle-Sears said she would support a Texas-style six-week ban. Spanberger has made protecting reproductive rights in Virginia a key issue in her campaign, alongside affordability and investment in education.”
• “‘Three years ago, my three daughters, all of a sudden, in one decision, had fewer rights than I did growing up,’ Spanberger said during a packed campaign event in Charlottesville, Virginia, marking the third anniversary of the Dobbs decision. ‘Virginia has a particular responsibility to stay steady. We will get our constitutional amendment through the General Assembly. It will go to the people in November 2026.’”
• “On stage, state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, shared her own personal story about access to reproductive health care. Decades earlier, she experienced a miscarriage with twins with complications that put her life and fertility at risk.” 
• “Some of the most competitive Virginia House races feature Democratic women candidates who are talking about their own experiences with abortion or miscarriage to explain their support for abortion rights in the state and, specifically, the proposed constitutional amendment.”  

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