Official Photo by Christian Martinez, Office of Governor Glenn Youngkin.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin Vetoes Right to Contraception Bill
Republican Governor of Virginia, Glenn Youngkin vetoed a bill advanced by Democrats that would have protected access to contraception Friday. HB 609 passed the Democratic controlled legislature and would have guaranteed that health care providers have a right to prescribe contraceptives and that patients have a right to obtain them. It also defined forms of contraception, and outlined legal actions that could be taken if rights were infringed.
Youngkin said the bill created “an overly broad cause of action against political subdivisions and parents, as well as medical professionals.” Youngkin had first pushed for a wide range of amendments to the bill that the legislation's sponsor, State Senator Ghazala Hashmi, said "gutted" the protections in the bill.
“Contraception is used to manage a wide variety of health conditions, and by choosing not to protect it, Youngkin is hurting thousands of people,” Susan Swecker, chair for the Virginia Democratic Party said in a statement.
“This comes down to health and freedom, and Youngkin and Republicans continue to carelessly and blatantly disregard both.”
Virginia now joins Missouri, Lousiana, Arizona and Idaho as states where Republicans are actively working to institute restrictions on contraception in the wake of the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade in June, 2022.
The right to contraception remains in place federally thanks to the 1965 Griswold v. Connecticut Supreme Court decision which protected access to birth control for married couples, and then later the Eisenstadt v. Baird decision extending the right to unmarried couples. However, in his written opinion overturning Roe, Justice Clarence Thomas argued that other settled federal cases involving right-to-privacy concerns, including Griswold, should be revisited by the highest court.
Republican legislatures seem to be preparing a series of laws infringing on contraception rights that are sure to meet with legal challenges in the hopes that one may make it to the Supreme Court, where in a post-abortion rights United States, SCOTUS may also allow states to ban birth control.
Youngkin spent time leading up to the 2023 election for the Virginia Legislature attending rallies for Republican candidates and promising a 15-week abortion ban in the state if voters would deliver Republican majorities. Virginia voters responded by giving Democrats control of both houses of the legislature.
