A supply aware of the governor’s plans says that passing a 15-week abortion ban can be his legislative precedence if Republicans win majority management of the state Home and Senate on this fall’s elections.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin plans to enact a 15-week abortion ban in Virginia if Republicans win full management of the state legislature in November, in keeping with sources aware of his plans, NBC Information reported.
For the reason that 2022 US Supreme Court docket resolution overturning Roe v. Wade eradicated abortion rights protections nationally, Virginia has turn out to be the final state within the South with out vital restrictions on reproductive freedom.
At the moment, Virginia permits abortions as much as 26 weeks and 6 days right into a being pregnant — the primary two trimesters — with exceptions within the third trimester if the girl’s well being is in danger. On this yr’s legislative session, the Democratic-majority state Senate prevented a number of abortion bans from passing, together with one that will have restricted abortion after 15 weeks.
Whereas Youngkin clearly desires to concentrate on the 15-week abortion ban, he has introduced publicly that he can be keen to enact bans that go a lot additional.
“Any invoice that involves my desk I’ll signal fortunately and gleefully with a purpose to defend life,” Youngkin vowed final June.
Banning abortions at 15 weeks of being pregnant presents a bunch of issues, particularly for expectant moms of 30 or older. These moms usually tend to conceive fetuses with chromosomal abnormalities, and the take a look at mostly used to detect these problems can solely be carried out after a being pregnant is 15 weeks alongside.
Moreover, some anatomical anomalies can’t be recognized till later in being pregnant. Older moms are additionally extra more likely to enter being pregnant with well being situations that may worsen as gestation progresses and may require termination to save lots of the girl’s life or forestall incapacity.
Democratic Sen. Aaron Rouse, whose concentrate on reproductive freedom helped him win a aggressive particular election in January, instructed NBC Information, “[Republicans] need to proceed to downplay and dismiss ladies’s rights and abortion rights, like ladies don’t have a voice. Ladies have been very loud and clear within the state of Virginia: Don’t contact my rights, my freedom, on the subject of making a very robust well being care resolution.”
All 40 state Senate seats and all 100 Home of Delegates seats are on the poll in November. Democrats presently have a two-seat edge within the Senate, and Republicans have a two-seat majority within the Home. Many GOP candidates on the poll this fall don’t even point out abortion on their marketing campaign web sites.
“[Republicans] have a variety of political positives they are often enjoying, however they get off their power in the event that they discuss concerning the hot-button social and cultural points, the place most Virginia voters aren’t in alignment with the Republican positions, particularly abortion,” Mark Rozell, the dean of the Schar Faculty of Coverage and Authorities at George Mason College, not too long ago instructed The New Republic.
