Virginia in unsteady place as the election approaches

Repro rights could be severely limited if the legislature goes Republican

Abortion rights in Virginia is in a precarious position as it has a staunchly anti-abortion governor and a legislature that could become Republican during the next election. 

Gov. Glenn Youngkin called for a 15-week ban but has signaled that he’s open to more extreme restrictions. In the last year, activists and feminist leaders have seen most of the South lose access to abortion. Virginia was the last haven for women who wanted to end unwanted pregnancies.

Jamie Lockhart, executive director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia, said this is the first time the legislative elections have come up since the demise of Roe v. Wade. Currently, the state house has an antiabortion majority. The Senate, however, has a slim majority of pro-choice members. All 140 of the state legislative seats are on the ballot this November. If it goes Republican, then abortion rights may disappear,” 

“That's a very real possibility that we are fighting,” Lockhart said. 

One of the contested races made headlines last week as Susanna Gibson, a Democratic candidate, was a victim of revenge porn. Republicans had demonized her for performing online sex shows with her husband. It was not supposed to be videotaped, but duplicates were posted on other pornographic sites without their consent. Her opponent, David Owen, has promised to ban abortion. 

Youngkin has sought to downplay his antiabortion positions on the campaign trail as Republicans have realized that strict limitations and bans are unpopular with voters. Yet he promised to sign any antiabortion legislation that came to his desk. 

Many Republicans have removed mentions of abortion on their campaign sites. But when they do discuss it, it’s usually a misrepresentation of what abortion providers do. 

“They’re using language around late-term abortions and just really promoting false claims about abortion,” Lockhart said. “And we know there's no such thing as abortion up until birth and that it's simply not how medical care works. And it's really irresponsible to imply that, but that is happening.” 

Lockhart said they have contingency planning in place. One of the ideas was a ballot initiative should the legislature fall into Republican hands. They want to do that anyway, but a constitutional amendment in Virginia must pass through the legislature twice with an intervening election. So, Democrats would have to take both this one and the subsequent election. 

”Then, a constitutional amendment to protect reproductive freedom would go to voters in November 2026,” Lockhart said. “But in order to have that happen, we have to be successful in the elections this year and in 2025.”