| RICHMOND, Va. — Americans for Contraception (AFC) today called out Republican lawmakers for voting against Virginia’s Right to Contraception Act, vital legislation aimed at protecting the fundamental right to contraception for all Virginians. By opposing this bill, Republican lawmakers signaled their continued willingness to undermine the basic reproductive freedoms and health care rights of the people they serve.
HB 1716 from Delegate Marcia “Cia” Price (D-Newport News) today passed the Virginia House of Delegates by a vote of 53-44. Nearly every House Republican voted against the legislation. Meanwhile, the Senate bill, SB 1105 from Sen. Ghazala Hashmi (D-Richmond), advanced through the Senate Education and Health Committee earlier today by a party-line vote of 9-6, with every Republican on the committee voting against the right to contraception.
Katie Baker, Virginia spokeswoman for Americans for Contraception, said:
“By voting against the Right to Contraception Act, the overwhelming number of Republican lawmakers in the Virginia House and all the Republicans on the Senate Education and Health Committee turned their backs on the people they represent. Contraception is a basic health care right that allows individuals to make their own decisions about their bodies and futures. Republicans’ continued opposition to this legislation reveals a consistent pattern of prioritizing extremist ideology over Virginians’ reproductive freedom.”
Senator Hashmi and Delegate Price reintroduced the Virginia Right to Contraception Act to safeguard the fundamental right to contraception and ensure legal protections for all Virginians. The proposed legislation would enshrine the right to use FDA-approved contraceptives, including condoms, birth control pills, IUDs, and emergency contraceptives.
This renewed effort follows Governor Glenn Youngkin’s veto of the legislation in May 2024. This year’s push to pass the Virginia Right to Contraception Act comes amid national uncertainty over reproductive rights. President Donald Trump’s statement that he is “looking at” restrictions on contraception and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ call for his colleagues to “re-consider” Griswold v. Connecticut have raised alarms about the future of contraception rights nationwide. |
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