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Senate enshrines explicit statutory right to contraception in Virginia code
Summary
Senate Bill 596, protecting the right to obtain and provide FDA-defined contraceptives, passed the Senate (Ayes 24, Nos 15) after sponsors cited concerns that legal reasoning used to overturn Roe v. Wade could be applied to contraception.
The Senate passed Senate Bill 596 on Feb. 10, voting Ayes 24, Nos 15. Sponsor remarks framed the bill as an affirmative statutory protection for Virginians who use contraceptives and for health-care providers who choose to provide them.
The senator from Eastern Prince William argued that following the overturning of Roe v. Wade there is anxiety that the same legal reasoning could be used to target certain FDA-approved contraceptives. "We need an affirmative statutory right to contraception in Virginia code to protect that right," the sponsor said, noting the bill defines contraceptives consistent with the FDA as drugs and devices intended to prevent pregnancy and affirms both patients' and providers' rights.
The debate on the Senate floor emphasized protecting women's health and preserving access to widely used birth-control methods. The bill passed on the roll call recorded in the transcript and will proceed in the legislative process per chamber rules.
