Richmond, Virginia—While legislators debated life-saving gun violence prevention bills in the General Assembly, Governor Glenn Youngkin decided that his time would be better spent marching with the far-right extremists during the March for Life, doubling down on his plans for a ban on abortion. Bills attempting to restrict abortion access have largely failed in the General Assembly this year, but Youngkin, who has proposed a 15-week abortion ban and who trumpets his pro-life views to raise money and energize his base, clearly still hopes that abortion is a winning issue for him. A 2023 Washington Post poll indicated that 73% of Virginians wanted the Commonwealth’s abortion laws to stay the same or become less strict. 

“Governor Glenn Youngkin is out of touch and out of step with our community. People in our community support access to abortion, and the people Governor Youngkin was marching with represent an extreme minority, ” LaTwyla Mathias, Executive Director of Progress Virginia, said. “Virginians have made it clear over and over again that they want to protect and expand access to abortion, and Governor Youngkin’s extreme agenda does not align with their values.” 

Background:

• HB1364, a total ban on abortion, was passed by indefinitely on a vote of 8-0 this session.
• Several shield bills to protect abortion access, abortion providers, and patient privacy have passed both the House and Senate and will be moving to the Governor’s desk.

People of color and low-income people are disproportionately prosecuted for abortion and miscarriage-related crimes and are charged more aggressively than their white or higher income counterparts.