When the Trump administration announced that it had destroyed nearly $10 million in contraceptives abroad, falsely labeling them “abortifacients,” Virginia Delegates Joshua Cole and Joshua Thomas said they weren’t surprised.

Retired Midlothian family physician Dr. Susan Miller told a crowd at a contraception roundtable recently that she's seen firsthand how birth control changes lives—from reducing abortion and poverty to lowering cancer risks and treating conditions like ovarian cysts. She also made a point to note that "pregnancy is significantly more dangerous to women than birth control is." 🖊️ : Jessica F. Simmons For more on the story, read here: https://bit.ly/46zYcGG

At a roundtable in Midlothian, advocates, doctors, and community members warned that contraception rights could be Virginia’s next political battlefield. For Janicka Fernandez, the issue is personal. She spent $486 for three months of birth control—a figure so high she actually understated it at the roundtable. She also told the room that losing access would be like taking away lifesaving medication. 🖊️ : Jessica F. Simmons