First things first in Virginia - Vote YES!
Vote YES on Re-Districting Referendum
Virginia voters are deciding on re-districting the Virginia House of Representative districts in the November 2026 election in response to other states’ unfairly redistricting at the president’s request in order to favor Republicans. I am opposed to gerrymandering, but this is just fighting fire with fire and it is only temporary.
This substack focuses on reproductive rights in Virginia. While Trump supposedly gave abortion rights back to the states (via his Supreme Court picks) when Roe v Wade was overturned in June of 2022, legislation at the national level could still make abortion illegal nationwide. Virginia has a Democratic governor, as well as a Democratic majorities in the state senate and the house of delegates. It is well poised to protect reproductive rights. We even have an amendment to protect reproductive rights on the ballot this coming November.
However, if the US Congress (the house and the senate are both currently dominated by Republicans) were to vote on a ban on abortion and Trump signed it, they could ban abortion nationwide. It wouldn’t matter what protections we had at the state level. Right now, the Republicans who are up for re-election this coming November are laying low about their opinions on abortion because they know reproductive freedom has the support of a majority of voters. If they declare that they want to restrict abortion, then they won’t get the votes they need to stay in power. If they don’t say anything, then where are the soundbites for the Democratic candidates to use against them? And then they might actually get re-elected and can push on with banning abortion.
So, when people say we don’t have to worry about abortion because Trump “gave it back to the states,” I say what about the thirteen states where abortion is currently banned? The voters in those states thought they didn’t have to worry about abortion rights. The state legislators in each of these states got to decide if a woman has a right to her own body as soon as Roe was overturned. It wasn’t like the voters got to reassess their choices or prior elections. If they had known that Roe was at risk, they probably would have been more discerning in who they chose for their state legislatures.
Abortion is completely banned (with limited exceptions) in the following states:
So, the latest re-districting effort is focused on fighting back against the re-districting or gerrymandering in Texas that was requested by Trump just so he could ensure the Republicans maintain their majority in the House of Representatives. He doesn’t care about abortion. He only cares about keeping a Republican majority because those Republicans don’t seem to have the backbone to do anything other than his will.
Virginia’s vote is for temporary re-districting that would revert to the original rules of re-districting in 2030. I am opposed to gerrymandering, but this is the only way we can fight the gerrymandering in Texas, North Carolina, Ohio and Missouri.
So, if you are a Virginia voter, get out and vote early by April 18th or vote in person on April 21st. We are fighting fire with fire and it is critical that we fight for more Democratic seats in Congress to protect reproductive rights at the federal level or at least prevent greater restrictions on reproductive rights.
More information can be found on the ballot through the Virginia Department of Elections.
As usual, here is my favorite substack about abortion rights nationwide:
Here is my favorite substack for politics in the US in general. Heather Cox Richardson can also be found on Youtube.
And I love the podcast Politics Girl. She has a new episode every Tuesday. If you have the opportunity to watch her on CNN or MSNOW, don’t miss it. She says what she thinks and her expressions perfectly match what she thinks. It is awesome.
And this podcast by two OB/GYNs who provide abortion care in North Carolina and Virginia.
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