Virginia Democratic State Senators, Candidates Release Statements Marking One Year Without Roe v. Wade

Virginia Democrats Release Statements Marking One Year Without Roe v. Wade

RICHMOND, VA –  On the one year anniversary of the Supreme Court striking down Roe v. Wade, Virginia Senate Democrats and candidates for Senate released the following statements discussing the need to protect abortion rights in Virginia:

Senate Democratic Caucus Chair Mamie Locke:

“On the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v Wade, it remains clear that the Court is out of touch with where the majority of Americans are when it comes to the very personal decision of a person’s healthcare and right to choose. The Court took away a constitutional right, a right to privacy, a right for a person to make a personal decision and choice. As Democrats we must fight like hell to ensure that in Virginia the MAGA agenda to ban abortion does not prevail.”

Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw:

“A woman’s right to choose is the single-most important issue on this year’s ballot. Virginia is the last safe-haven for reproductive rights in the South, and if we lose our majority in the Senate, there will be nothing stopping Republicans from implementing their extreme agenda. We cannot allow Republicans to interfere with the healthcare decisions between a woman and her doctor.”

Senator Barbara Favola:

“I never imagined our daughters would have fewer rights than their mothers.  The right to control your own body is a basic human right. We must never retreat from this fight.”

Senator Ghazala Hashmi:

“Last summer’s Dobbs decision upended medically safe, legal, and accessible abortion all across the country, creating fear and havoc as a hodgepodge of laws were passed in different states. Simply put, politicians should not be in charge of making sensitive, private medical decisions for anyone. We knew that the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision would be a disaster, and it has been a disaster. Virginia is the last remaining state in the South to protect access to safe and legal abortion, and Democrats in the General Assembly will fight hard to protect the rights of individuals to make their own private decisions in consultation with medical professionals.”

Senator Jennifer Boysko:

“Since the Dobbs decision a year ago, we have seen state after state strip abortion rights, and people have lost their freedom to decide when, if, and with whom they would start or add to a family. Some patients have been forced to give birth, even when it puts their lives at risk or their pregnancies are nonviable. Over the past year, we’ve seen horror stories from across the country of the dangerous and deadly consequences of these draconian abortion bans. Virginia is the last Southern state that still has reasonable laws permitting abortion care. We can’t lose that freedom in Virginia. The only way to stop the GOP’s anti-choice agenda from becoming law is to help us protect and expand our pro-choice Democratic majority in the Senate.”

Senator Lamont Bagby:

“We understand our role, as we have become the only state in the South without an abortion ban on the books, and we remain committed more than ever to enshrining the fundamental right to reproductive freedom at the state level, in our constitution. We are committed to supporting and protecting patients seeking care, providers administering care, advocates, and logistical support networks who continue to band together to protect contraceptive care and the full range of reproductive healthcare, including abortion, so that it is accessible to all, without discrimination, barriers, or targeted interference of any kind.”

Delegate Danica Roem, Democratic nominee in SD-30:

“As a transgender woman, my transition relies on reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy. I don’t want politicians interfering with the decisions I make with my medical care providers, and I don’t want them interfering with your health care decisions either, whether it’s your right to safe and legal abortion care, obtaining contraceptives or HRT, or accessing IVF or other fertility treatments. If elected to the state Senate, I’ll vote to defend our existing laws about abortion access and will vote in favor of a constitutional amendment to protect your rights to reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy.”

Lashrecse Aird, Democratic nominee in SD-13:

“The fundamental right we once thought was forever protected is no more, and one year later, the importance of state legislatures is heightened like never before. With access to abortion under constant threat, on this anniversary, Virginia must not only remain strong for our people but for the millions throughout the southeast without access in their own states. Virginians have expressed loud and clear that they support these rights and we can’t rest until they’re cemented.”

Delegate Schuyler VanValkenburg, Democratic nominee in SD-16:

“The one-year anniversary of the Dobbs decision today serves as a reminder of what is on the line this November. As the last southern state in the U.S. with access to abortions, I’m proud to be in the fight to protect this fundamental right.”

Russet Perry, Democratic nominee in SD-31:

“The Dobbs decision left the fate of reproductive access in the hands of the states, so I believe that we in Virginia have an obligation to codify the right to an abortion. The 31st state senate seat will be the majority making seat, which means that our right to make decisions about our own bodies – my right to make decisions about my own body – will come down to this seat. I will fight every day to win this seat, and I will be a tireless champion for choice in Richmond.”

Jolicia Ward, Democratic nominee in SD-25:

“I can’t believe it’s been an entire year since I stood in front of the Supreme Court with thousands of individuals holding a sign as high as I could that said, ‘My body, My choice!’ The emotions I felt overwhelmed my soul. How could the Supreme Court leave our constitutional rights in the hands of politicians who turned around and banned them? Now I’m fighting to become one, as we all know that a Democratic majority in the Senate will make a difference in the fight to keep our reproductive rights.”

Natan McKenzie, Democratic nominee in SD-12:

“On this day, we reflect on what we have lost and what remains. Here in Virginia, we have an opportunity to continue the fight for choice and reproductive health. Women and health care providers deserve to have freedom of choice when facing their own bodies. We need to keep Virginia an abortion access state.”