RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Democrats who control the state Legislature are advancing legislation that aims to protect access to a wide range of contraception, something they say should not be taken for granted after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
Similar bills that would establish a right to obtain and use a detailed list of contraception approved by the federal government — including oral medications, intrauterine devices, condoms and the Plan-B morning-after pill — have cleared both the House of Delegates and the Senate. The legislation also creates a right to sue over violations of its provisions.
“I think the overturning of Roe was a first step on the assault on reproductive health care,” said Sen. Ghazala Hashmi of Chesterfield, the sponsor of one of the measures.
The court’s June 2022 majority opinion overturning the 1973 Roe decision said it applied only to abortion. But Hashmi noted conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ separate concurring opinion that said the court “should reconsider” other precedents, including decisions legalizing same-sex marriage, striking down laws criminalizing gay sex and establishing the right of married couples to use contraception.