Virginians voted overwhelmingly in favor of “Question 1,” enshrining a right to abortion into the state’s constitution and effectively legalizing abortion at any point in pregnancy.
With 72 percent of the vote counted, more than 1.6 million Virginians voted in favor of the amendment, making Virginia the eleventh state to pass a constitutional amendment of this nature.
The amendment, which protects a “fundamental right to reproductive freedom,” allows for abortion at any point in the first two trimesters and imposes very few limits on abortion in the third trimester. Pro-life advocates, doctors, and religious leaders have warned that a provision in the vaguely worded amendment that allows abortion in the third trimester to protect the health of the mother will open the door to increased late-term abortion, since it will be interpreted to include exceptions for women who report mental health issues.
The amendment will also make it very difficult for the state to enforce safety and health regulations on the abortion industry going forward, Dr. Christine Francis, board-certified OB-GYN and president of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG), previously told National Review.
“We don’t have to speculate,” Francis previously told NR. “There are multiple documented instances over the last 10 to 15 years of abortion facilities when someone finally did go in and do an inspection, where they were either shut down or cited for major safety violations.”
The amendment also chips away at parental rights by allowing minor girls to obtain abortions without parental consent or consultation.
“Tonight’s result does not change the medical realities that compelled us to speak out against this amendment,” Dr. Timothy Boley, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist and leader of Virginia Medical Professionals for Women’s Safety, said in a statement, reacting to the election results.
“Our concerns were never political – they were, and continue to be, rooted in our responsibility as physicians to protect our patients. The passage of Question 1 raises serious questions about the future of medical safeguards in Virginia, and we will continue working to ensure that women and their children are not left vulnerable in the wake of this outcome.”
Virginia already had some of the most permissive abortion laws in the U.S., previously allowing abortion through 27 weeks gestation.