Olivia Gans Turner: Update on Unlimited Abortion Amendment

Pro-abortion Delegates Vote in Committee to Slip Extreme Abortion Amendment Forward, Ignoring Public Opposition and Outcry

Yesterday pro-abortion legislators in the House of Delegates passed their extreme Unlimited Abortion Up to Birth Amendment to the Virginia Constitution out of the Privileges and Election Committee. The committee agenda was not posted for the public to see and comment on until 24 hours before the meeting.  To make matters worse, a last-minute substitute version was introduced at the meeting, denying the chance for legislators or the public to read and study it.

Several Republican members of the Committee raised serious objections over the questionable process, but were ignored. Big thanks to Delegates Todd Gilbert, Israel O'Quinn, Phillip Scott, and Jay Leftwich for voicing opposition and the concerns of many in the room. They reminded all in attendance that we are talking about abortion, which always kills one person, the baby, and often harms the mother.

Public comment was also restricted at the meeting.  Those opposed greatly outnumbered those in favor.  More than 55 people opposed to HJ1 attended in person and 14 online.

Chair Del. Marcia (Cia) Price limited comments to 15 minutes in person and only 5 minutes for those online.

VSHL's team was well represented by Project Director Sarah Dunford, Lobbyist Jennifer Hubert, President Olivia Turner, and Second District Board member Andrew Wells.

The vote was along party lines, 12 to 9, and means that now this radical measure will go straight to the full House of Delegates on Jan 8, 2025, when the new General Assembly session opens.

This dreadful amendment is the number one priority of radical members of the General Assemblies and their allies, the abortion businesses of Virginia.

"The deceptively named 'Fundamental Right to Reproductive Freedom' is a dangerous bill that will prevent the people of Virginia from passing any new legislation to provide protection to preborn babies, including laws that will prevent abortions after babies can feel pain in the womb or in the later months of pregnancy.  It could also prohibit passage of laws to protect women from coercion to abort a pregnancy, or to receive much-needed informed consent before an abortion.  It will also threaten parents' right to know before a minor aged daughter can receive an abortion.  There is nothing moderate about this bill," said Olivia Gans Turner, president of VSHL.

When asked by the Chair if the proposed amendment will interfere with the Virginia parental consent law, the official attorney for the Committee admitted that a future court challenge could interpret the requirement as a burden to access to abortion. That is exactly why VSHL has stated that the vague language is anything but harmless.

Several other states where similar amendments have passed, including Kansas, Michigan, and Ohio, have already seen their protective pro-life laws overturned because of the interpretation of these dangerous amendments. Virginia has a longer process, but today's vote will likely push the bill to the floor of the House in the first days of the upcoming 2025 General Assembly and one step closer to putting unborn children and their mothers in even greater danger.

"Amendments like this one are more accurately called the "Unlimited Abortion Up to Birth" and only serve the interests of abortion promoters and businesses.  Virginia has already seen a large jump in the number of abortion facilities and efforts to make the state the abortion capital of the South.  Passage of this amendment will only cement that plan. In the end women and babies will suffer as abortion promoters grow rich," said Gans Turner.

It is essential that pro-life people and all concerned Virginians continue to voice their opposition to this extreme amendment. Please keep sharing the VSHL Action Center link with your family and friends.

VSHL thanks everyone who came to the General Assembly building yesterday, took time to communicate with their legislators, or added comments to the committee website.  There are well over a hundred comments opposing the amendment, outnumbering the pro-amendment ones considerably.