Opposed to the "Virginia Fundamental Right to Reproductive Freedom" Amendment

Read the Declaration outlining our opposition, and sign on to show your support for safe medical care for Virginia women.
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This Amendment Would...

  • Establish abortion as a fundamental right in Virginia, superseding current law and preventing any future law or regulation on abortion in our state
  • Threaten the health and safety of women by allowing unregulated abortions to be performed by unlicensed providers at any time, even up to birth at term
  • Remove the requirement for parental consent for a minor’s abortion
  • Remove informed consent before an abortion is performed

We, the undersigned medical professionals, wish to warn Virginia voters about the dangers of the proposed “Virginia Fundamental Right to Reproductive Freedom” amendment. While some may believe that induced abortion should be permitted under certain circumstances, this proposed amendment represents a dramatic expansion in abortion in the Commonwealth.

The term “Do No Harm” is often used in the context of providing healthcare based in the Hippocratic Oath we take as medical professionals. This should also be a consideration in the area of governance. The “Virginia Fundamental Right to Reproductive Freedom” amendment will have many intended and unintended consequences that are obvious from the language of the amendment. As medical professionals, we believe the proposed amendment will undermine the safe healthcare of Virginia women, and for this reason must speak out.

Virginia laws and regulations are already permissive regarding abortion. Virginia law permits induced abortion through the second trimester of pregnancy, while even third trimester induced abortions are allowed in specific medical circumstances.1 Current laws contain safety standards that include qualification requirements for those who perform the abortion, standards for facilities where abortion takes place, informed consent procedures, and parental involvement and consent for minors.2 This amendment would remove these commonsense protections that ensure safe and ethical medical treatment. If adopted as an amendment to the Virginia constitution, this amendment will prevent any future law or regulation on abortion in the Commonwealth.

What this proposed amendment does not say is as important as what it does say. The amendment’s language contains no age restrictions and no requirement for informed consent. The amendment eliminates a doctor’s ability to counsel the woman in making her decision, making the amendment irresponsible and dangerous to women. Further, the amendment strips away the conscience protections for healthcare professionals, forcing them to participate in an abortion despite their personal objections or risk losing their jobs. This amendment will not only affect obstetricians and gynecologists but will also impact other primary care physicians and specialists as well.

The primary objective of this proposed amendment is to codify “abortion on demand” for any reason and at any time during a woman’s pregnancy. The amendment states that the Commonwealth may not regulate an abortion that is performed for the “mental health of the pregnant individual.” This will mean that abortions of third trimester (and even full-term) babies will be permissible under the amendment for indications like maternal anxiety or depression.3,4 In addition, it removes the current legal requirement for minors to obtain the consent of a parent before obtaining an abortion, meaning that young women can be influenced by adults who are not their parents.5

This proposed amendment is unnecessary; it is unsafe; and it is unconscionable.

As Virginia medical professionals of all types, we want to continue to provide safe and appropriate medical care to women. Because we care deeply for all our patients, we stand against this radical amendment and feel it is our obligation to tell the truth about it and its impact on our state. We strongly recommend that Virginia voters reject the proposed “Virginia Fundamental Right to Reproductive Freedom” amendment.

1 https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacodefull/title18.2/chapter4/article9/
2 https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title16.1/chapter11/section16.1-241/
3 https://lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/1108633.PDF
4 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/60d201847c78ef1e9e5ff099/t/696526d7c6b5ef71c0714ae4/1768236759255/
Abortion+Amendment+explainer.pdf
5 https://virginiamercury.com/2026/02/02/fairfax-case-alleging-school-assisted-abortions-now-in-federal-court/

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Contact us: info@virginiamedicalprofessionals.com
Courtesy of Virginia Family Foundation

National Review Article

A Pro-Life Opportunity in Colorado

By Michael J. New | October 31, 2024

While we are saddened by the passage of Amendment 79, and the resultant increased harms to women seeking abortion in our state, the increased deaths to preborn babies, and the multitude of harms to families and our society, we are determined in the importance of our mission as medical professionals to provide life-affirming Hippocratic medicine that women desire and deserve, to be a supportive community around each other in this worthy endeavor, to expand education of the public about the harms of abortion and the dignity and value of the preborn baby, to impact policy to support families, and to mentor and support the next generation of healthcare professionals.  This is only the beginning.
 
Thank you, all who worked so diligently to educate those in your circles of influence, who held events, spoke publicly, wrote opinion pieces and letters, worked through your churches and organizations, and who supported the united mission of Right to Know Colorado in so many ways.  
 
We are convinced that if Coloradans truly knew and understood the truth about abortion, they would not have voted for this harmful amendment.
 
Now, more than ever, medical professionals must come together to do this urgent and critical work.  Because of the certain harms of the passage of the Amendment, more women will need compassionate, life-affirming care, and more women will seek medical professionals who offer true care – not just abortion.  
 
A powerful good that has emerged from our efforts has been the galvanized unity and coordinated efforts of Prolife Colorado’s over 50 prolife organizations, and the emergence of the prolife medical community through AAPLOG CO.  We are well-positioned as we move forward for women, preborn babies, and families.
 
With great expectation we look forward to the impact we will have, as we move into the gap created by the movement of organized medicine from evidence-based exceptional maternity and reproductive care to unrestricted, unregulated abortion access as its penultimate goal.  
 

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