WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court’s decision to allow Texas’ six-week abortion ban to go into effect in Texas, effectively overturning Roe v. Wade in the state, has opened the floodgates for the Republican assault on reproductive rights, and Virginia Republicans have been very clear about where they stand. Abortion rights are on the ballot in the November election for control of the Virginia House of Delegates. But you don’t need to take it from us — Republicans have said it themselves: if they gain a majority in the House of Delegates, they’ll ban abortion and defund Planned Parenthood. GOP gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin himself said, “When I’m governor and I have a majority in the House we can start going on offense” to attack abortion rights. Up and down the ballot in Virginia, GOP candidates have committed to anti-choice policies if elected.
“Virginia Republicans have been incredibly clear about their agenda: they are going to ban abortion if they get control of the House of Delegates,” said DLCC executive director Heather Williams. “Holding the Democratic majority in Virginia is critical to protecting abortion access in the commonwealth. Republicans want to drag Virginia backward and we cannot let them.”
Here is a round-up of just a few of the Republican legislative candidates in Virginia and their position on Virginians’ right to choose:
- Gina Ciarcia (HD-02): Ciarcia’s political career was built on her anti-choice politics and she has pledged to support legislation to defund Planned Parenthood.
- Nick Clemente (HD-10): Clemente also pledged to support legislation defunding Planned Parenthood.
- Christopher Stone (HD-13): Stone has staked out the extremist position of opposing abortions “at any time” and supports requiring family life education curriculum to include viewing a live ultrasound of a fetus.
- Roxann Robinson (HD-27): Robinson is an anti-choice extremist who supports fetal personhood and even thinks employers should be able to deny their employees birth control coverage. She also voted for mandatory, medically unnecessary transvaginal ultrasounds before women could obtain abortions, a practice some called “state-sponsored rape.”
- Steve Pleickhardt (HD-50): Pleickhardt believes life begins at conception, an extreme position that threatens common forms of birth control, and opposed abortion even in cases of rape and incest.
- Tim Cox (HD-51): Cox supports banning abortion from the moment of conception, saying, “abortion is wrong; keep baby or use adoption options and foster care.” He also compared abortion to slavery and said, “slavery’s new plantations are Planned Parenthoods.”
- Mike Cherry (HD-66): Cherry pledged to sponsor legislation defunding Planned Parenthood.
- Mark Earley Jr. (HD-68): Earley wants to ban all abortion under any circumstances.
- Mike Dillender (HD-76): Dillender pledged to sponsor legislation defunding Planned Parenthood.
- Tim Anderson (HD-83): Anderson is an extremist who does not support abortion rights under any circumstance and called the right to choose a “disgusting anti-American ideology.”
- Glenn Davis (HD-84): Davis opposes abortion rights and voted for a “Day of Tears” on the Roe v. Wade anniversary, a bill that even some Republicans voted against.
- Karen Greenhalgh (HD-85): Greenhalgh was a crisis pregnancy counselor and wants to reinstate anti-abortion laws repealed by the Democratic majority, including medically unnecessary requirements on abortion facilities to try to shut them down.
- Russ Harper (HD-94): Harper claimed the right to choose was “the right to murder your child.”
- Rob Bloxom (HD-100): Bloxom voted to defund Planned Parenthood and in support of the extreme resolution to refer to the Roe v. Wade anniversary as the “Day of Tears.” He even voted against allowing private insurance companies to offer abortion coverage.
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