Demonstrators protest outside of the U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday, May 3, 2022 in Washington. A draft opinion suggests the U.S. Supreme Court could be poised to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide, according to a Politico report released Monday. Whatever the outcome, the Politico report represents an extremely rare breach of the court's secretive deliberation process, and on a case of surpassing importance. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
On Monday evening, POLITICO reported on a leaked draft opinion from the Supreme Court, that could potentially shape the future of Roe v. Wade.
Back in January, we reported that reproductive rights were not a huge motivating factor for voters in Virginia’s statewide elections, but Gov. Glenn Youngkin established himself as someone who is “pro-life.” On Tuesday morning, he reiterated his pro-life stance to Brandon Jarvis, author of the Virginia Political Scope newsletter.
“I’m pro-life and I’ve been very clear about that from the very day I launched my campaign. One of the things we learned during the entire campaign is that Virginians have a lot of common ground here. They want fewer abortions, not more,” he said.
He believes that decisions about abortion should be left up to individual states to decide, much like taxes.
In the wake of the shocking news, many of Virginia’s leading Democratic politicians took to Twitter to talk about their feelings towards protecting Roe v. Wade, nearly 50 years after it was decided.
Republican Response
Some of Virginia’s Republican lawmakers also voiced their reactions to the news, including Del. Nick Freitas, who had some particularly worrisome tweets in the aftermath of the news. Freitas was the representative who introduced House Bill (HB) 1274 to the General Assembly earlier this year. HB 1274, also known as the “Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act,” aims to ban abortion after 20 weeks gestation, and would also punish medical professionals who perform abortions after 20 weeks with a Class 6 felony. It did not pass through the House.
Virginia’s Republican party also used their platform to voice their opinion about the leaked draft, also calling Sen. Mark Warner “twisted.”
Fifth District Rep. Bob Good tweeted from his campaign account about the news, starting out a long tweet thread with “Once again, when the Democrat Left feels power slipping away, because they cannot legitimately win at the ballot box, they seek to further tear down our traditional norms and burn down our institutions.”
State Senator Amanda Chase took to her Facebook to voice her opinion on the decision.
“As a pro-life state senator elected by the people of Chesterfield, Colonial Heights and Amelia, who sponsored the Pain Capable bill that recognizes babies unborn experience pain at 20 weeks, I will continue to sponsor and support legislation that is consistent with the Constitution that prohibits the deprivation of life without due process,” she wrote.
Abortion is healthcare, simply put. The fight for reproductive rights isn’t going to end if Roe v. Wade is overturned, but it’s only going to ramp up even more.
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