Photos, Audio: Freeda, a 20-Foot Inflatable IUD, Returns to Richmond as Lawmakers and Advocates Call for the Passage of the Virginia Right to Contraception Act

Freeda, a 20-Foot Inflatable IUD, Returns to Richmond as Lawmakers and Advocates Call for the Passage of the Virginia Right to Contraception Act

Nophar Yarden, a fourth-year medical student, speaks in support of the Virginia Right to Contraception Act as legislators and advocates look on.

High-resolution photos from the event are HERE.

High-quality audio from the event is HERE.

SB 1105, patroned by Senator Ghazala Hashmi (D-Richmond), and HB 1716, patroned by Delegate Cia Price (D-Newport News), would codify Virginians’ right to use and doctors’ right to prescribe FDA-approved forms of contraception, including condoms, IUDs, the pill, and emergency contraceptives. The legislation is a response to heightened threats to the right to contraception since the fall of Roe v. Wade and Donald Trump’s return to power.

In his concurrence in the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe. v. Wade, Justice Clarence Thomas said the U.S. Supreme Court “should reconsider” the right to contraception next. On the campaign trail last year, Donald Trump said he was “looking at” restrictions on contraception. The Associated Press reported last week that some information about contraception was stripped from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website. Project 2025 also takes aim at emergency contraception.

Thanks to Democratic majorities, both bills have crossed over to opposite chambers. However, nearly every Republican in the Virginia General Assembly voted against the Right to Contraception Act. Lt. Governor Winsome Sears also voted against the Right to Contraception Act. 

“This is a danger that we are facing in the Virginia Senate,” said Senator Hashmi. “When the Right to Contraception Act came up in front of the full chamber, not a single Republican colleague voted in support of that bill. Even more critical for us to understand is that our lieutenant governor voted against the right to contraception. When it was presented to her on the floor of the chamber as a tie vote, she voted to restrict access to contraception. She said Virginia women do not have a right to contraception.”

“Last year, we stood right here with the same ask that the governor would stand with Virginians and sign the Right to Contraception Act. Instead, he ended up vetoing the bill,” said Delegate Price. “So we are back, because we have to keep working until Virginians’ right to access contraception is protected. So what has changed since last year? I’ll tell you. MAGA Republicans have taken charge and have wasted no time rolling back our rights, rolling back access to scientific information and stripping life-saving information from the CDC website about contraception.”

“Access to contraception is about more than just personal choice. It is about public health and social equity,” said Rae Pickett, communications director at Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia. “Contraception helps people plan their families, pursue education, and maintain their well-being. Without it, unintended pregnancies can have significant economic and social consequences, especially for people of color, people with low incomes, and those who live in rural areas.”

“At Birth in Color, we are often reminded of how essential contraception access is,” said Kenda Sutton-EL, executive director of Birth in Color. “We work with individuals each year who rely on contraception, not only for family planning, but for managing serious health conditions. For those with polycystic ovary syndrome or endometriosis, contraception isn’t just a choice, it’s a crucial medical treatment that impacts their daily lives. Do they really know what it’s like to be survivors of PCOS, endometriosis? Do they know the pain that people go through without contraception? Do they really understand how you still have to get up and go to work daily while managing these symptoms?”

“I’ve seen firsthand the consequences of limited access to contraception,” said Nophar Yarden, a Virginia resident and fourth-year medical student. “At a Title X clinic, I worked closely with a young mother who had recently given birth and had found herself unexpectedly pregnant again. Through tears, she shared her fears, how would she afford her diapers, food, child care, and housing for her growing family. Unfortunately her story is not unique. Nearly half of all pregnancies in Virginia are unintended. The ability to decide if and when to grow a family is essential to the health and stability of individuals and communities.”

“I have two sons who are now 19 and 23 years old. But I am very aware of the fact that had I not had access to contraception after they were born, I might not have been around to raise them,” said Sarah Goodman of Roanoke, who serves as Red, Wine & Blue’s southwest regional organizer. “My pregnancies were both very difficult, both ended in emergency Caesarean sections. And after my last pregnancy, my doctor came up to me — it was a very traumatic experience for everyone in that operating room — and she said ‘Sarah, 100 years ago you would have been one of those women who died in childbirth, and I cannot recommend that you ever undertake another pregnancy. It’s just too risky for you.’ And that was so sobering to me. Here I am holding my newborn son and my toddler is looking on, and I’m thinking ‘wow, it is absolutely pivotal that I have access to birth control so that I can be here and show up for my own children.’”

Contraception champions Senator Jennifer Boysko (D-Fairfax), Senator Kannan Srinivasan (D-Loudoun) and Delegate Holly Seibold (D-Fairfax) stood in support at the press conference.

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Americans for Contraception is a leading advocacy organization committed to protecting and expanding the fundamental right to contraception nationwide.