Virginia governor signs bill to put 'extreme' pro-abortion measure before voters

Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger signed legislation on February 6 to put a ballot measure before voters in November that could codify a "right" to abortion in Virginia's constitution.

Key Takeaways:

• Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger signed bill HJ1, which puts a ballot measure before voters to enshrine abortion as a constitutional 'right.'

• The amendment groups together prenatal care, childbirth, miscarriage care, abortion, and more as if they are all morally equivalent forms of "reproductive freedom." But only one intentionally kills.

• Voters will determine the ballot measure's fate on November 3.

• Pro-lifers have called the amendment "the most extreme in the nation" and warn that it could strip all protections from preborn children and make it easier for traffickers to obtain abortions for their victims.

The Details:

HJ1, the "Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment," establishes the "right to reproductive freedom," which is defined as "the ability to make and carry out decisions relating to one’s own prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, contraception, abortion care, miscarriage management, and fertility care.”

But only one of these "decisions" directly and intentionally kills a human being.

Governor Abigail Spanberger

@GovernorVA

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I JUST signed bills to allow Virginians to vote on proposed amendments to our Constitution. We took the next step to protect marriage equality, reproductive rights, the automatic restoration of voting rights, and to let voters respond to extreme measures taken by other states.

3:43 PM · Feb 6, 2026

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Spanberger signed the amendment bill alongside three other bills in a ceremony on Friday. With her signature, the measure is now slated to go before voters on November 3 for approval.

"Women in Virginia deserve the freedom to make their own reproductive healthcare decisions without politicians dictating their choices," Spanberger claimed.

The Backstory:

Lawmakers in Virginia's General Assembly approved the bill to make the constitutional change last month. The passage marked the second consecutive year the state's lawmakers approved such a measure; per Virginia law, the proposal must pass in two consecutive state legislatures before making its way before voters.

After its passage, the state's Catholic bishops issued a statement warning that the amendment could strip the state's current preborn protections, including laws requiring parental consent for minors to obtain abortions. The bishops vowed to fight the pro-abortion push by educating people about the true consequences of the amendment.

"The extreme abortion amendment, which will proceed to a referendum for voters to decide later this year, would go far beyond even what Roe v. Wade previously allowed," the bishops warned, adding:

 It would enshrine virtually unlimited abortion at any stage of pregnancy, with no age restriction. Among numerous other problems, it would severely jeopardize Virginia’s parental consent law, health and safety standards for women, conscience protections for healthcare providers, and restrictions on taxpayer-funded abortions.

Most tragically of all, the extreme abortion amendment provides no protections whatsoever for preborn children.

Zoom In:

Sen. Glen Sturtevant has said that if passed, the amendment will be "the most extreme" in the country.

“It will be the most extreme abortion amendment in the nation. This prevents the state from regulating abortion in any way, shape or form, all the way down to inspecting clinics for basic safety standards,” he told OSV News.

He also warned that the amendment will benefit human traffickers who take their victims to abortion facilities.

“In practice, this amendment is going to allow a human trafficker, or an adult that gets a minor pregnant, to bring that young person to this state for an abortion," he said. "This amendment would protect that person from prosecution.”