Virginia will open early voting on Friday, September 18, ahead of the November 3 election, where voters will decide two constitutional amendments introduced by Northern Virginia Democrats.
A Radical Reproductive Freedom Amendment
House Majority Leader Charniele Herring, D‑Alexandria, and Senate Democrat Jennifer Boysko propose a constitutional amendment that declares “every individual has the fundamental right to reproductive freedom,” encompassing abortion, contraception, IVF, miscarriage care and prenatal services.
The amendment would add Section 11‑A to Article I, effectively allowing unregulated abortions, even for healthy, viable fetuses, and would remove legal barriers that currently prohibit unlicensed abortion providers.
Governor Abigail Spanberger, who campaigned as a moderate, publicly backs the measure, signaling that Democrats are advancing a sweeping reproductive rights agenda.
A Same‑Sex Marriage Ban Removal Amendment
Former Delegate Mark Sickles, D‑Fairfax, and former Senator Adam Ebbin, D‑Alexandria, have drafted a measure to delete the state’s one‑man‑one‑woman marriage definition from Article I, Section 15‑A.
The language would require the state to issue marriage licenses to any two adults regardless of sex, gender or race, and would omit religious‑exemption language that previously protected clergy from being forced to officiate same‑sex ceremonies.
Critics argue the amendment disregards the Bill of Rights’ guarantee of religious liberty and could enable lawsuits against churches that refuse to perform or recognize such marriages.
The Cynical Use of Founding Language
Both proposals co‑opt language from the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution to claim they protect “rights” and “freedom,” while ignoring the right of the unborn to life and the welfare of children raised outside traditional family structures.
Legal scholars note that the reproductive amendment could nullify existing state restrictions on abortion, creating one of the most extreme pro‑abortion regimes in the nation, and that the marriage amendment erodes longstanding religious protections.
Jack Danielson, a pseudonym used by a writer with nearly 15 years of managerial experience, has contributed to The Federalist, which verifies the identity of its pseudonymous authors.
