| Abortion proponents in Virginia General Assembly House of Delegates, Committee for Privileges and Elections, on November 13 started the multistep, multiyear process to include a Constitutional Amendment “Fundamental Right to Reproductive Freedom” in the Virginia State Constitution. The House of Delegates Committee on Privileges and Elections met this afternoon to address their legislation, HJ1, a constitutional amendment enshrining full term abortions in Virginia’s constitution. The committee voted to move the amendment forward to the next stage of approval. The entire General Assembly in Richmond will take up the bill in January of next year. “The bill number in 2024 is HJ 1 & SJ 1: Provides that every individual has the fundamental right to reproductive freedom and that the right to make and effectuate one’s own decisions about all matters related to one’s pregnancy cannot be denied, burdened, or otherwise infringed upon by the Commonwealth, unless justified by a compelling state interest and achieved by the least restrictive means. “The amendment prohibits the Commonwealth from penalizing, prosecuting, or otherwise taking adverse action against an individual for exercising the individual’s right to reproductive freedom or for aiding another individual in the exercise of such right, unless justified by a compelling state interest.” For more information including the steps and process followed to amend the Commonwealth’s Constitution, visit vshl.org |