Virginia Voters to Decide Constitutional Amendment on Pregnancy-Related Care

RICHMOND, Va. / June 30, 2026 / BPALiveWire — Virginia voters in November will decide whether to amend the state Constitution to establish broad legal protections for the termination of a pregnancy.

The proposal reached the ballot after approval by two separately elected sessions of the General Assembly as required for constitutional amendments.

It would prohibit the Commonwealth from denying an individual's right to terminate a pregnancy except in limited circumstances permitted under the amendment.

Center for Disease Control data report Black women had 24.4 terminations per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44 in 2022, more than four times the rate for White women. Black women accounted for about 38 percent of reported cases in reporting areas while Black Americans are about 13.7 percent of the U.S. population.

Virginia data show 32 percent of termination procedures involved Black women in 2022 while Black residents are about 18 percent of the population.

These devastating statistics trouble many in the African American community.  Margaret Sanger founded the organization that became Planned Parenthood and supported early twentieth century eugenics, which advocated selective reproduction based on perceived hereditary traits.

In a 1939 letter regarding the Negro Project, which she champioined Sanger wrote, "We do not want word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population, and the minister is the man who can straighten out that idea if it ever occurs to any of their more rebellious members."

Virginia organizations including the Frederick Douglass Freedom Alliance and Douglass Leadership Institute are among organizations conducting voter education efforts and say many residents are unaware the amendment will appear on the ballot.

They encourage voters to review the text and consider its legal implications before voting.

Constitutional amendments in Virginia require voter approval and can only be changed through another constitutional amendment approved by the General Assembly and voters.