Abortion patients are fleeing the South—and heading to Virginia

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

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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

As AI data centers expand in Northern parts of the state, Virginians like Julie Kimmel are speaking out about how the negative effects of air pollution will impact communities like hers.

🎤 Lucas Henkel