VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Now that the Supreme Court has reversed Roe v. Wade, Virginia’s relatively lax regulations on abortion will be the final word on the matter in the state, at least for the time being.
In Virginia, abortions are allowed to be performed by licensed medical staff in the first trimester, or first three months of pregnancy, and in the second trimester, second three months of pregnancy, at a hospital licensed by the State Department of Health or operated by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, according to state code.
Abortions by licensed medical staff are allowed in the final three months of pregnancy if three physicians agree the pregnancy will lead to the woman’s death or “substantially and irremediably impair the mental or physical health of the woman” and life support is available for the fetus if it survives the procedure. Written consent is required.
Performing an abortion outside the law is a Class 4 felony, according to the code.
Pro-Choice Virginia expects 26 states to vote to outlaw abortion by this time next year, according Tarina Keene, executive director for the abortion-rights group.
In total, there are 21 states with such trigger laws, abortion bans after six weeks or unenforced bans on abortion that predate the Roe v. Wade decision, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
“We know that people will be looking for help, for access to abortion care,” Keene said.
She said if the issue of abortion goes to the statehouse, the group will do its best to support abortion rights candidates and policies through the legislature, where there is a Republican majority in the house and 21-19 Democratic majority in the Senate with one Democrat in favor of anti-abortion policy.
“It all hangs by the whims of the legislature and here in Virginia, based on our most recent election, we are one vote away from being one of those states that could move to ban abortion outright,” she said.
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(Staff writer Caitlyn Burchett contributed to this report.)
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