Kaine Joins McEachin in Urging General Assembly to Enshrine Right to an Abortion in Virginia Constitution

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) joined U.S. Representative A. Donald McEachin (VA-04), along with Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) and Representatives Jennifer Wexton (VA-10), Gerry Connolly (VA-11), Abigail Spanberger (VA-07), Elaine Luria (VA-02), Don Beyer (VA-08), and Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) in sending a letter to the Virginia General Assembly urging for prompt action to be taken to protect abortion access for all Virginians.

This letter comes after the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which undermined reproductive health care and stripped away the constitutional right to choose. Since that ruling, several states have moved to further restrict or ban abortion access.

“We are also concerned that Governor Youngkin has indicated that he plans to take Virginia in a similar direction. Shortly after Dobbs was decided, he directed Republican members of the General Assembly to craft legislation to significantly limit abortion access in Virginia,” wrote the lawmakers. “Attacks on reproductive freedom disproportionately impact vulnerable populations, including low-income women, women of color, young Americans, and individuals living in rural communities.”

During the midterm elections, voters in states across the nation rejected extreme abortion bans. Furthermore, Virginians largely support the right to choose with sixty-seven percent saying that abortion should be legal in all or most cases.

“Given the unprecedented assault on reproductive rights, it is imperative that the right to abortion be enshrined in the Virginia Constitution and codified in Congress,” continued the lawmakers. “We urge you to advance legislation that would allow these rights to be codified into the Virginia Constitution, and we will continue to work to codify reproductive freedom at the federal level.”

Read the full letter to the General Assembly here.

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