Abortion is Health Care
My fights to expand and protect reproductive freedoms in Virginia
In Virginia, we’ve made major and historic progress to expand access to abortion care. I’m proud to have led that progress. During the McDonnell Administration, I fought back against Republican attempts to pass medically unnecessary and dangerous abortion restrictions. I even brought my copy of “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” to the floor, as I spoke out about the damaging and discriminatory practices the Republican legislators were trying to pass.
In 2011 and 2012, the Republican majority in the General Assembly passed several politically motivated bills aimed at shutting off access to safe, legal abortion care and shaming and stigmatizing Virginians seeking reproductive healthcare. Over the past two years, I successfully led bills with Delegate Charniele Herring and Delegate Sally Hudson to remove the McDonnell-era restrictions on abortion care and open up access for the most marginalized Virginians who were denied time-sensitive medical services.
The Reproductive Health Protection Act in 2020 repealed mandatory 24-hour waiting periods, forced ultrasounds, state-mandated, biased counseling, and TRAP laws. It was the first proactive abortion access legislation to be enacted in any Southern state — ever — and one of the biggest expansions of reproductive healthcare access in Virginia history.
However, it wasn’t enough just to repeal the restrictions — we had to expand reproductive access proactively. My newly passed and signed law with Del. Sally Hudson ends the ban on abortion coverage on the state healthcare exchange. This is a critical step to increasing access so that all Virginians can both afford and accept the reproductive health care they need.
We won those battles by lifting up the stories of Virginians facing reproductive healthcare decisions.
During a forum, I used an outdated phrase to make a point that reproductive rights encompass more than abortion, but contraception as well. This was a phrase previously used to describe abortion policy. That comment was misconstrued and may have caused confusion as to my stance on abortion. To be clear, I have always and I will always fight to expand access to abortion care and end stigma surrounding abortion so any and everyone who needs care gets it. Because when a person decides to have an abortion, they should be able to receive the care they need safely and without shame.
As governor, I will not only protect the right to an abortion, I will take critical action to expand access — so that all Virginians can afford and access the care they need. There are still people in the Commonwealth who do not have access to a full range of reproductive healthcare. There is still much work to be done.
Abortion is health care. I’m proud to have been awarded the 2020 NARAL Legislator of the Year, and the 2021 Planned Parenthood Virginia Planned Parenthood Leadership and Courage Award; and I have previously been honored to receive the Planned Parenthood Mary Anne Reynolds Award and NARAL Virginia’s Aggie Wolf Defender of Choice Award. As governor, I will proudly and boldly take my 15 years of experience to continue expanding access to reproductive care for all Virginians because reproductive freedom is for everybody.
