“As the Next Governor of Virginia, I Will Always Protect Virginians’ Personal Freedoms”

RICHMOND, Va. — Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger today released the following statement to mark the 52nd anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade.

“Two and a half years ago, the Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs to overturn Roe v. Wade — undermining a woman’s right to privacy and right to make her own reproductive healthcare decisions. Today, I remain devastated by the intense fear women are feeling, the threats to their fertility, and the continued threats to their lives.

“More than 20 states have further restricted reproductive care since the Dobbs decision. Virginia is the last bastion of reproductive freedom in the South — and Virginians want it to stay that way. I’m proud that Democrats in the General Assembly are working to give Virginians the opportunity to enshrine these rights in our Constitution.

“As a mother of three daughters, these fears are deeply personal — as I know they are for so many. In Richmond, I will always work to protect Virginians’ personal freedoms and make sure the next generation does not have fewer rights than the generations before them.”

BACKGROUND

During her three terms representing Virginia’s Seventh District in the U.S. House of Representatives, Spanberger worked to protect the right to access reproductive care.

Spanberger twice voted to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act to create a statutory right for providers to provide and patients to receive an abortion — without facing medically unnecessary restrictions.

In the immediate wake of the Dobbs decision, Spanberger voted to pass the Ensuring Access to Abortion Act — legislation to protect American women from being criminalized for interstate travel to seek abortions.

And in July 2022, Spanberger voted to pass the Right to Contraception Act to codify Americans’ right to access and use birth control into federal law.

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