After the U.S. Supreme Court rolled back abortion protections nationally, Virginia became a destination for abortion access as states to the south limited the procedure. And while many though the fight over same-sex marriage was over, some in the Commonwealth hope to block the practice.
Both issues are playing out in Virginia’s 2025 Gubernatorial election.
“I support the constitutional amendment that would affirm access to abortion in Virginia,” Spanberger told reporters at a recent event in Hanover where she also signaled her support for same-sex marriage.
“I, like the vast majority of Virginians, support the right of our fellow Virginians to marry,” she said.
But that support for same-sex marriage wasn’t always a majority. In fact, back in 2006, 57% of Virginians voted in favor of defining marriage as “a union between one man and one woman.”
The U.S. Supreme Court has since overturned such gay marriage bans, but Virginia’s 2006 constitutional ban remains.
Democrats in the General Assembly want to protect both abortion and same-sex marriage via new constitutional amendments; if they keep the House of Delegates this fall, both are likely to be on the ballot in 2026.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears, however, wrote in notes on bills passed during the last legislative session that she was quote “morally opposed” to both abortion and same-sex marriage. She explained her stance on abortion in an interview with WRIC News’ Tyler Englander:
“If a baby is born after an abortion, that the baby is a human being, it’s not a lizard, it’s a baby,” Earle-Sears said.
And Earle-Sears also defended her opposition to same-sex marriage.
“I don’t want a person who has religious faith to feel they are forced against their will. It’s freedom of religion,” the candidate said.
In November, voters will decide which candidate should move into the governor’s mansion.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
