Abortion policy in Virginia isn’t settled: Why this year’s election is key – The 19th News

Report on Virginia’s 2025 Elections and a Proposed Constitutional Amendment for Reproductive Freedom

Executive Summary

The upcoming November 2025 legislative elections in Virginia represent a critical juncture for the state’s alignment with key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions). The central issue is a proposed constitutional amendment to enshrine reproductive freedom, the fate of which rests on the electoral outcome of the Virginia House of Delegates. This report analyzes the political landscape, the legislative process, and the profound implications for sustainable development within the Commonwealth and the broader region.

Legislative Process and its Connection to SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

The proposed constitutional amendment is a focal point of the current political discourse, highlighting the importance of responsive and inclusive institutions as outlined in SDG 16. The process for amending Virginia’s constitution requires a specific legislative pathway that underscores the role of democratic governance.

Constitutional Amendment Procedure

1. Both chambers of the state legislature must approve the proposed ballot measure.
2. A state legislative election must occur between the first and second votes.
3. Both chambers must approve the measure a second time in the subsequent legislative session.
4. The measure is then placed on the ballot for a public referendum, requiring a simple majority for passage.

The measure received its first approval from the Democrat-controlled legislature in 2024. However, with every House seat contested in the November 2025 elections, the second required approval in January 2026 is contingent upon the election’s outcome. This process directly reflects SDG Target 16.7, which calls for ensuring responsive, inclusive, participatory, and representative decision-making.

Advancing SDG 3 (Good Health) and SDG 5 (Gender Equality)

The debate over the amendment is fundamentally linked to the advancement of health and gender equality. Proponents argue that securing reproductive rights is essential for achieving universal access to sexual and reproductive healthcare, a cornerstone of both SDG 3 and SDG 5.

Impact on Health and Well-being (SDG 3)

• Access to Care: Virginia currently has fewer restrictions on abortion compared to other Southern states, making it a crucial access point for regional healthcare. Restrictions could jeopardize this status.
• Maternal Health: Candidates have highlighted personal experiences with miscarriage, emphasizing that restrictions on abortion can create barriers to necessary medical procedures for managing pregnancy complications, potentially increasing health risks for patients. This aligns with SDG Target 3.7, which aims to ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services.
• Case Studies: The experiences of candidates like State Senator Ghazala Hashmi, who faced life-threatening complications during a miscarriage, are presented as evidence of the need for robust healthcare protections.

Impact on Gender Equality (SDG 5)

• Bodily Autonomy: The amendment seeks to establish a fundamental right to reproductive freedom, which is central to women’s bodily autonomy and the ability to make personal decisions about their lives and families, as supported by SDG Target 5.6.
• Political Participation: A significant number of women candidates, including Jessica Anderson and Kimberly Pope Adams, are running on platforms centered on this issue. Their candidacies and advocacy demonstrate the push for SDG Target 5.5, which seeks to ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership in political life.
• Economic Empowerment: Jessica Anderson’s personal account illustrates how access to reproductive healthcare enabled her to pursue education and plan her family, contributing to long-term economic stability and well-being.

Political Landscape and Broader Implications for SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

The election’s outcome will have consequences beyond reproductive rights, affecting other proposed amendments that align with SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities).

Key Political Contests

• House of Delegates: Democrats are defending a narrow majority. Races like the one between Jessica Anderson and incumbent Del. Amanda Batten are highly competitive and will determine control of the chamber.
• Gubernatorial Race: The matchup between Abigail Spanberger (D) and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R) presents voters with starkly different visions for reproductive rights and state governance.

Related Constitutional Amendments

The legislature’s composition will also decide the fate of two other proposed amendments that target systemic inequalities:

• An amendment to guarantee marriage equality, repealing a 2006 ban on same-sex marriage.
• An amendment to automatically restore voting rights to individuals who have completed felony sentences.

These measures directly address SDG Target 10.2, which aims to empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of status.

Conclusion

The 2025 Virginia elections serve as a critical test for the state’s commitment to core Sustainable Development Goals. The potential passage of a constitutional amendment on reproductive freedom is intrinsically tied to progress on SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 5 (Gender Equality). Furthermore, the political dynamics will determine the future of initiatives aimed at strengthening democratic institutions (SDG 16) and reducing societal inequalities (SDG 10). The results will not only shape policy within Virginia but also send a significant signal regarding the trajectory of human rights and sustainable development in the United States.

1. Relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: The article’s central theme is reproductive health, specifically access to abortion and miscarriage care. It discusses the health implications of restricting these services, referencing a study that found abortion bans made first-trimester miscarriages more dangerous. The personal stories of Jessica Anderson and Ghazala Hashmi highlight the importance of reproductive healthcare for individual well-being and family planning.
• SDG 5: Gender Equality: The article addresses gender equality by focusing on women’s reproductive rights and bodily autonomy. The political fight to pass a constitutional amendment for “reproductive freedom” is a core issue. Furthermore, it showcases women’s political participation and leadership, as numerous female candidates (Jessica Anderson, Abigail Spanberger, Ghazala Hashmi, Kimberly Pope Adams) are running for office and making their personal health experiences central to their campaigns.
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: The article details the functioning of democratic and legislative institutions. It explains the process for amending the Virginia state constitution, which involves legislative votes and a public ballot measure. The debate over the amendment, the role of elections in determining its fate, and the mention of other proposed amendments on marriage equality and voting rights all relate to building responsive, inclusive, and representative institutions.

2. Specific SDG Targets

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • Target 3.7: By 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services, including for family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programmes.
     
     Explanation: The article is fundamentally about the struggle to ensure access to reproductive health services in Virginia. Jessica Anderson’s story begins with a “birth control fail,” leading to her decision to have an abortion, which she credits with “paving the way for her future family.” The political debate centers on whether to protect or restrict these services, with Virginia law currently allowing abortion through 26 weeks, while opponents have proposed a “15-week abortion ban.”

2. SDG 5: Gender Equality

   • Target 5.6: Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights.
     
     Explanation: The primary goal of the political candidates highlighted in the article is to protect “reproductive rights.” The proposed constitutional amendment aims to “create a fundamental state right to reproductive freedom.” Abigail Spanberger is quoted saying, “my three daughters, all of a sudden, in one decision, had fewer rights than I did growing up,” directly framing the issue as one of fundamental rights for women.
   • Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life.
     
     Explanation: The article prominently features several women running for key political offices in Virginia, including Jessica Anderson, Abigail Spanberger (for governor), Ghazala Hashmi (for lieutenant governor), and Kimberly Pope Adams. It notes that “Many of the women running for office are highlighting personal abortion, pregnancy and miscarriage stories to make their case to voters,” demonstrating their active participation and leadership in the political process.

3. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

   • Target 16.7: Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels.
     
     Explanation: The article describes the democratic process for changing the state constitution. It states that the amendment “will need a green light from the state legislature first” and then must be approved by a “simple majority of voters to become law.” This highlights a participatory process where citizens have the final say. Jessica Anderson emphasizes this, stating her role is “to empower Virginians to decide whether or not this is something they feel is worthy of protecting at the state level.”

3. Indicators for Measuring Progress

1. Target 3.7 (Access to reproductive health-care)

   • Implied Indicator: Laws and regulations concerning abortion access. The article explicitly discusses the legal status of abortion in Virginia (“doesn’t restrict abortion through 26 weeks of pregnancy”) versus proposed restrictions (“15-week abortion ban”) and bans in other states (“abortions in the rest of the region are limited beyond the first six weeks”). The outcome of the election and the potential constitutional amendment directly measures this.
   • Implied Indicator: Rates of complications from pregnancy and miscarriage. The article implies this indicator by citing a ProPublica analysis which found that in Texas, “The number of blood transfusions during emergency room visits for miscarriage in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy had increased by 54 percent since the bans went into effect.” This suggests that tracking such health outcomes is a way to measure the impact of reproductive health policies.

2. Target 5.6 (Access to reproductive rights)

   • Indicator 5.6.2 (modified for sub-national level): Number of states/jurisdictions with laws and regulations that guarantee full and equal access to sexual and reproductive health care. The article’s central point is the effort to pass a “constitutional amendment to protect reproductive rights.” Whether this amendment is successfully placed on the ballot and passed by voters serves as a direct, measurable indicator of progress toward this target at the state level.

3. Target 5.5 (Women’s political participation)

   • Indicator 5.5.1: Proportion of seats held by women in local governments (state legislature). The article focuses on elections where “every House seat is up for grabs” and highlights several female candidates (Anderson, Batten, Spanberger, Hashmi, Pope Adams). The results of these elections will directly determine the proportion of seats held by women in the Virginia legislature, serving as a clear indicator.

4. Target 16.7 (Responsive and inclusive decision-making)

   • Implied Indicator: Use of direct democracy mechanisms (e.g., ballot measures). The article describes how the constitutional amendment, if approved by the legislature, “can go to voters” via a ballot measure. The successful use of this process to let citizens decide on fundamental rights is an indicator of participatory decision-making. The article notes that “voters in 11 states have approved ballot measures to enshrine reproductive rights.”

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: 19thnews.org