Reproductive Rights Archive
Just a Mirage?: Youngkin’s abortion ban “consensus”plan
October 1, 2021
In the coming weeks, we will take a deeper dive into important choices facing Virginians on election day. And one of the most highly visible is the law on abortion.
Current Virginia law limits abortions in most cases to the first two trimesters. Governor Youngkin says that is too long — and is busy promoting a 15 week abortion limit — one that he argues represents a moderate consensus of Virginians. If, however, his party wins a majority in the legislature, will they support such a proposal — or will they pursue a more radical ban? And how likely will the Governor be to veto a radical bill?
In short, is the Governor’s proposal a serious policy plan? Or is it really intended to be an election campaign sound bite — one that will disappear like a mirage after Election Day? Let’s take a look.
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The Turning Point for Virginians’ Reproductive Rights
July 29, 2023
Following the overturn of Roe v. Wade, Virginia has become a haven for Southerners seeking abortions. The influx of patients crossing the border is straining resources among Virginia’s clinics and increasing wait times for locals seeking reproductive care. No one is feeling the impact more than rural and low-income patients.
While Virginia currently has the most lenient abortion laws in the South, obtaining the procedure is no easy feat. Abortion is banned starting in the third trimester and the state prohibits Medicaid coverage of abortion except in very limited circumstances, making it exceptionally expensive. An in-clinic abortion without insurance can cost up to $800 in the first trimester, and as much as $2,000 in the second. The Commonwealth also requires parental consent for minors.
On top of all that, the flood of patients from other states means that a procedure that used to take only a couple days from scheduling to recovery now takes weeks. Virginians are driving further than ever before to access the few clinics with openings. Not surprisingly, transportation, cost, and scheduling obstacles have caused rural and low-income communities to fall by the wayside.
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How Youngkin’s abortion proposal would harm Virginian women and their families
July 15, 2022
The Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe vs Wade is a game-changer for Virginians – but not in the way that most people are thinking. Before last week, abortion rights were largely argued in courts of law. The Court’s decision has turned it into a political question, decided in legislatures. And in Virginia, where our legislature is so closely divided between the two parties, that means that success will go to those who play the political game best.
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Virginian Women Deserve a Comprehensive Approach To Reproductive Care. Here’s what that might look like.
July 15, 2022
Governor Youngkin’s abortion plan consists only of restricting women’s access to abortion services. This purely punitive approach to women’s reproductive health needs is flat-out wrong. The decision to have a child is an extremely complicated one, involving questions of health, affordability, and very personal needs. Women should not have politicians telling them what they can and cannot do. They need our support.
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For Many Virginia Women, In-Clinic Abortion Care Is Already Out of Reach
June 16, 2022
Having the legal right to seek an abortion doesn’t mean much to a woman and her family who cannot effectively access those services. For many Virginia women, those barriers are very high indeed. In fact, 4 out of 5 Virginia women reside in counties without a single abortion provider! For rural women in the south and west of Virginia, in particular, a clinic may be more than 3 hours away – a distance that makes managing the many other logistics of in-clinic abortions nearly impossible.
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Roe v Wade: A “penis bounty” to level the playing field?
May 16, 2022
By Patricia Underwood
New Rural Virginia asked Patricia Underwood, a Rappahannock-based artist, for her response to the recently-released draft opinion suggesting the Supreme Court will overturn Roe vs Wade. Several of Underwood’s works and exhibitions have focused on the historical and cultural portrayal of women and women’s rights.