The Virginia House of Delegates passed resolutions on Tuesday enshrining rights to abortion, voting and marriage equality in a critical step for Democrats hoping to amend the state's constitution next year.
In Virginia, Democrats pushed forward resolutions in the House of Delegates aimed at getting measures on abortion, marriage, and felon voting on the ballot in 2026. Democrats, who hold a narrow 51-49 majority in the state House,
Virginia Democrats are hoping to pass a bill to make abortion more accessible in the third trimester under specific situations.
The resolution has a long way to go before it can become part of the state's constitution. However, House Republicans said it already violates state law.
The Virginia House of Delegates passed three state constitutional amendments Tuesday that would enshrine in state law reproductive rights, same-sex marriage and automatic restoration of voting
The amendment would ensure a “fundamental right to reproductive freedom,” protecting abortion in the first two trimesters and in the third trimester with some restrictions.
The House also backed proposed amendments on restoration of rights for felons who have served their time and to remove moot language barring same-sex marriage.
It’s not easy to amend Virginia’s constitution, but Democrats in the House of Delegates took the first step to amend it three times Tuesday.
To reach voters, the resolutions — which do not require Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s signature — must pass both chambers this year and again next year before appearing on statewide ballots in November 2026.
Virginia Democrats advanced a proposal to enshrine abortion as a right in the state constitution earlier this week. The amendment would ensure a “fundamental right to reproductive freedom ...
An incoming new president and state legislative sessions ramping up are likely to bring more changes to abortion policy across the U.S., which is still settling after the seismic shift in 2022 when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and opened the door to state bans.
The march brought together a large crowd of pro-abortion, pro-LGBTQ, and pro-Palestine activists just two days before Trump’s inauguration.