Spanberger Joins Governors in Reproductive Freedom Alliance, Signs Related Virginia Bills into Law

From support for legislation and ballot referendums to helping states stockpile abortion and miscarriage management drug mifepristone, a growing cohort of governors are banding together as the Reproductive Freedom Alliance. Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger announced Wednesday that she has joined the coalition.

Members include California Gov. Gavin Newsom, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, Gov. Wes Moore from Maryland and New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill — who was elected the same night as Spanberger last fall — among 23 others so far.

As part of the alliance, Spanberger said she will “continue doing everything in my power to preserve the rights of Virginians seeking reproductive care and making sure families across our Commonwealth can continue making their own personal healthcare decisions.”

Mifepristone has been subject to legal challenges, with opponents pushing for a national ban on mailing the medication. Several of the states are working to preserve access to the medication and have also enacted shield laws to protect patients’ privacy and expand coverage for over-the-counter contraception.

On the heels of announcing she’d joined the governors’ group, Spanberger signed two new reproductive health bills into law in Lorton on Wednesday. Years-long efforts dubbed the Right-To-Contraception Act and Contraception Equity Act will fortify people’s ability to access family planning measures.

Del. Cia Price, D-Newport News, who carried the legislation, has emphasized that contraception is also used to treat conditions like polycystic ovarian syndrome and endometriosis. Price uses contraception to treat her own PCOS symptoms, she said.

After signing the law on Wednesday, Spanberger called contraception “vital for being able to contend with an ongoing health issue.”

The coalition announcement and new laws preempt the fourth anniversary of the overturn of federal abortion protections by the U.S. Supreme Court and a ballot referendum in Virginia later this year to enshrine reproductive rights into the state’s constitution.

How a 19th century law, central to a national telehealth abortion case, could impact Virginia

With abortion drawing the most scrutiny, several states have enacted deep restrictions or bans on the procedure. Virginia, where abortion is legal to varying degrees in all three trimesters of pregnancy, is the least restrictive Southern state.

As such, clinics and abortion funds have noted upticks in out-of-state patients in recent years.

Blue Ridge Abortion Fund director April Greene said that 26% of people seeking assistance from her organization live outside Virginia, a 13% uptick since 2023.  More people are relying on abortion funds for financial assistance, as rising fuel prices affect travel.

“What this tells us is that abortion bans, anywhere, impact access everywhere,” Greene said.

Spanberger, reproductive rights advocates, state lawmakers, and congressional candidates will continue advocating for the constitutional amendment leading up to this fall’s election.

Rising costs of fuel, other goods squeeze already strained abortion funds

Despite some Republican-leaning states having already pursued similar measures, the amendment has fallen along partisan lines in Virginia. Every elected Republican in the state legislature has voted against the amendment, which had to clear the legislature two years in a row before it could appear on statewide ballots.

“Once it becomes enshrined in our constitution, it becomes harder to fight,” said Family Foundation president Victoria Cobb at the Virginia March For Life this past spring.

Her organization, which staunchly opposes the amendment, has filed one of two lawsuits challenging the pending amendment.

by Charlotte Rene Woods, Virginia Mercury

Virginia Mercury is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Samantha Willis for questions: info@virginiamercury.com.