Deborah Aguilera, Contributing Writer
Virginians will decide whether reproductive freedom should be a fundamental right in the state constitution on Nov. 3.
Virginia Question 1 proposes that every individual has the fundamental right to reproductive freedom, including personal decisions regarding prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, contraception, abortion care, miscarriage management and fertility care.
Reproductive healthcare is a statutory protection in Virginia, meaning it can be altered by future legislative majorities, according to KFF. Making reproductive healthcare a constitutional amendment would guarantee Virginians the right to reproductive freedom.
Following Dobbs v. Jackson, The U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, the authority to regulate abortion returned to individual states, reshaping the healthcare landscape nationwide. Virginia currently stands as the last state in the American Southeast with abortion access passed the 15th week.
Under Virginia law, constitutional amendments must pass two consecutive General Assembly sessions with a legislative election in between, according to the organization Reproductive Freedom for All. The measure cleared the 2025 and 2026 legislative sessions and will now go directly to the voters.
Jamie Lockhart, the executive director of Planned Parenthood Advocates, said the amendment would protect an individual’s ability to make decisions about their reproductive health while limiting government involvement in those decisions.
Planned Parenthood Advocates for Virginia’s mission is to educate the public about reproductive health issues and engaging with Virginia communities.
The organization evaluates candidates for public office based on their stances on reproductive health and endorses candidates whose views align, Lockhart said.
“Choices about our bodies belong to us, not politicians,” Lockhart said. “Right now, the Virginia Constitution does not recognize the right to reproductive health care, which means that our freedom to access reproductive health care could change with the swipe of a politician’s pen.”
Lockhart said Virginia has seen restrictions on reproductive health care since before 2020, including mandatory ultrasounds, waiting 24 hours between a patient’s first appointment and their abortion appointment, as well as a requirement for bias counseling.
“At no point in pregnancy is a politician more qualified than a patient and their doctor; the people involved should decide what’s best,” Lockhart said.
Planned Parenthood Generation Action at VCU is a student organization that brings the mission and resources of Planned Parenthood to the university community. The group focuses on providing students with information about reproductive and sexual health while creating a space where students can learn about available resources and healthcare options.
Generation Action aims to make conversations about sexual wellbeing more approachable for students, according to Anna Ndahi, an executive board member at PPGA. The group’s work to reduce stigmas surrounding sexual health, including educating students
“It really is important that especially a lot of these young people, like freshmen that are 18, vote [on the amendment].” Nhadi said.
Maddy Rapone, a VCU third-year student majoring in education and history, believes it should be amended in the constitution so future lawmakers cannot affect it.
“Democrats and Republicans should be looking at this ballot and reading all that’s going on here so that we can continue to produce a [sustainable] democracy in Virginia.”