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Virginians Should Pay Attention To La. Law, Recent Veto
May 27, 2024 Editor, The News-Gazette: Recent news out of Louisiana regarding reproductive rights reinforces how, since the fall of Roe in 2022, we have sunk into an ever more dire version of “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
Right after the 2022 Dobbs decision, Louisiana outlawed abortion in the state in all cases except for extreme risk to the mother’s life. Just a few days ago, on Friday, May 24, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed a bill that categorizes abortion medications mifepristone and misoprostol as controlled dangerous substances. In so doing, Landry declared that this bill “protects women across Louisiana.” If by “protection” Landry means that Louisiana women must be subjected to ever-more limited choices about their own health and reproductive decisions, then we here in Virginia should pay careful attention.
Medical professionals in Louisiana and across the nation have stated clearly that the medications are important not only for abortion care, but also for labor and delivery aids, treatment of miscarriages, and prevention of gastrointestinal ulcers.
Here in Virginia, on May 17, Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed the Right to Contraception Act, a bill that passed the General Assembly with bipartisan support. ACLU of Virginia’s Policy and Legislative Counsel Breanna Diaz writes: “His veto goes against the will of most Virginians and undermines our fundamental rights to reproductive healthcare and privacy without government interference. Actions like these are why it’s important that Virginia adopt a state constitutional amendment protecting the fundamental right to reproductive freedom, which includes abortion and contraception. We will continue to fight for the reproductive freedom of all Virginians.”
Here in the Virginia 6th District, we must support candidates at local, state, and national levels who advocate for abortion access and reproductive justice: President Joe Biden; Vice President Kamala Harris; U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine; and Virginia’s 6th District candidate for the House of Representatives, Ken Mitchell. ELLEN MAYOCK Lexington
