Video: In Charlottesville, Senator Hashmi and Local Leaders Urge Governor Youngkin to Sign the Virginia Right to Contraception Act

In Charlottesville, Senator Hashmi and Local Leaders Urge Governor Youngkin to Sign the Virginia Right to Contraception Act

The legislation would enshrine the right to contraception in Virginia, ensuring continued legal protections for birth control, IUDs, emergency contraception, and other FDA-approved contraceptive methods.

The governor faces a March 24 deadline to act on the companion bills, which are patroned by Senator Hashmi and Delegate Marcia “Cia” Price (D-Newport News).

“We have returned to Charlottesville almost a year to the date when we were here last year because we are working to spread the word in every corner of the commonwealth that the threat to contraception is real and that we have to respond. That’s why Delegate Marcia Price and I introduced the Virginia Right to Contraception Act,” said Senator Hashmi. “Glenn Youngkin must stand with the majority of voters who strongly support this proposal by signing this bill, and in fact, we’re ready to deliver another petition with 55,000 signatures of Virginians to his desk, telling him to sign the bill.”

Speakers emphasized the urgency of passing the legislation amid national threats to reproductive rights, citing Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ call for the court to “reconsider” the landmark Griswold v. Connecticut ruling, which established the constitutional right to contraception.

“With Trump in office, we know that nothing is sacred or respected, and we need to act now to ensure that women will not be pushed backwards into a time when we could not access contraception,” said Delegate Callsen. “That time was not that long ago. I have a dear friend from Charlottesville. She has spoken to me often about how her own mother was denied birth control. She had 11 children, and she attributes her mother’s untimely death and health decline to the fact that she was unable to control her own reproductive outcomes. She herself had five children before she was able to gain control of her own body, and that’s one of the reasons that she’s a passionate advocate now for women and us having control over our own bodies and when we choose to have children.”

“We are here because there is no right that is safe in this second Trump term, including the right to contraception,” said Delegate Laufer. “Governor Youngkin and Lieutenant Governor Sears are now rubber-stamping all the havoc that the federal administration is causing – from firing our federal servants, shaking the Virginia economy, and freezing hundreds of millions of dollars in contraceptive services for women all around the world. We cannot afford to take any more steps down and back when it comes to reproductive rights. Everyone here knows that, and that’s why we’re here calling for the governor to sign this bill into law.”

“Contraception is not just about family planning. It is also used to manage chronic conditions like endometriosis, PCOS and other reproductive health issues,” said Vic Bermudez, Virginia Advocacy Manager at Whole Woman’s Health Alliance. For so many people, birth control is not just a means to avoid pregnancy, but it is also a tool for managing pain, regulating cycles and treating conditions that have long been ignored and untreated. This piece of legislation will also ensure that our providers have the freedom to deliver the care our patients need without barriers, and that each person is given the support, information and respect that they are due. Governor Youngkin, the time is now. Sign the Right to Contraception Act and give us the agency that each and every member of the commonwealth deserves.”

“We all know the many benefits of contraception,” said Dr. Laura Parsons, a local OB-GYN. “I use it to treat young patients who suffer from debilitating cramps each month that keep them out of school. I use it to prescribe to older patients who have perimenopausal symptoms that are so debilitating that they can’t work effectively. I’ve treated patients in the emergency rooms who come in with ovarian cysts and pelvic pain. These are patients that I see every single day and treat with contraception. It changes their lives and their families’ lives. Virginians want to work, they want to go to school and they want to live healthy, productive lives. Contraception helps them do that. This act is sensible legislation that would protect their access in Virginia.”

“Having access to contraceptives ensures that I get to be in control of my body, my career and my life,” said Julia Shuttleworth, a second year student at the University of Virginia. “Like most 20 year olds out there, I have very little idea of what my life is going to end up looking like, but the autonomy that comes with birth control access gives me the chance to figure that out for myself and to live in this incredible and unique moment where for the first time in my life, all doors are open, and that is so special. My early 20s are a time where I look forward to getting to try and fail and go after whatever it is I decide that I want for myself. This freedom, however, is contingent on access to contraception. With my birth control implant, I retain the power to shape my own future on my own terms. I can trust in my ability to finish the education that so many women before me didn’t get the chance to and that I’ve worked so hard to attain. It is my sincere hope that the right to exercise this crucial control over one’s own body and future will be protected for all Virginians. That’s why I’m here to urge Governor Youngkin to sign the Right to Contraception Act.”

“I’m here today on behalf of the patients and communities I’ve served for almost 20 years,” said Dr. Ashley Apple, a professor of nursing and a family nurse practitioner. “Privacy and autonomy are fundamental rights that every patient deserves, but sadly, those rights are being eroded by political interference in health care decision-making. It’s very hard to believe that in 2025 the right to contraception is in question, and yet here we are. Make no mistake, politicians are not qualified to make medical decisions for patients, and their efforts to do so will have drastic public health consequences.”

Senator Hashmi pledged to continue mobilizing Virginians to demand action. She will hold a press conference in Richmond on Thursday, March 20 at 10 a.m. in the Senate Briefing Room on the 4th Floor of the General Assembly Building. She will then lead advocates in walking to the Executive Mansion to deliver more than 55,000 petitions asking Governor Youngkin to sign the bill. All are welcome.