Virginia voters made their choice on Tuesday. They approved a measure that changes the state constitution to protect abortion rights and same-sex marriage. The vote passed with 61.4 percent support against 38.6 percent opposition. This result came with 86 percent of the votes counted, according to the Associated Press.
The measure, known as Question 1, creates a right to abortion up until the moment of birth. Prenatal care, childbirth, and fertility care decision-making freedom is also safeguarded by it. The Associated Press reported that the amendment allows for restrictions during the third trimester. Exceptions for a patient's health or likely non-survival of the baby must exist, however, regarding those restrictions.
Opposition to the amendment was strong and well-organized. The Catholic Church in Virginia created a group called Protect Virginia 2026 to fight the proposition. This group was formed directly by the Church to inform voters about their stance against the proposal, per The Daily Caller. Church leaders called the measure "extreme" and "radical."
Bishop Barry C. Knestout, head of the Diocese of Richmond, shared a letter in July warning voters. "This fall, we Virginians face a grave moral choice," the bishop said in the letter. He argued that the amendment would leave parents out of conversations about their children's care. The Church mobilized for nearly 1,900 years on this issue, classifying the act as a grave moral evil.
Despite the Church's direct campaign, voters approved the amendment anyway. NBC News called the election when 61 percent of the vote was counted, noting that the amendment would become law. Shortly thereafter, The New York Times confirmed the result by calling the race. Last year, after state lawmakers passed it, Virginians for Reproductive Freedom placed the measure on the ballot and led it.
This change makes the right to abortion harder to remove in the future. Basically irreversible, constitutional amendments serve as an offensive weapon effectively. They change a state constitution and take precedence over regular laws. In Virginia, such amendments must be approved by the state House and Senate twice before going to voters.
Democrat Del and Democrat state Sen. Jennifer Boysko sponsored the amendment. Charniele Herring. Through 27 weeks of pregnancy, abortions were already legal in Virginia before this vote. Doctors, nurses, and patients face no punishment for these decisions under the new text protections. It also prohibits legal action against healthcare workers who provide care.
Whether the Constitution of Virginia should be amended to protect these freedoms is asked of voters in the final text. It specifically lists prenatal care, birth control, and miscarriage management. The Associated Press noted that the measure includes protections for fertility care as well. This broad language covers many aspects of reproductive health under one constitutional shield.
Voters across the state decided this alongside their picks for Congress.