Supporting Reproductive Freedom & Choice
Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, reproductive freedom has remained a shifting issue in the courts, in Congress, and here in Virginia.
This November, Virginia voters will decide on a constitutional amendment that would establish a right to reproductive freedom in the state constitution, covering decisions about contraception, abortion care, miscarriage management, fertility care, and more.
At the federal level, access to medication abortion has also been the subject of ongoing litigation over telehealth access to mifepristone, which is relevant to survivors who may rely on it for miscarriage management.
This page offers background and resources for sexual and domestic violence survivor advocates on how reproductive freedom intersects with our work, including how reproductive coercion functions as a form of intimate partner violence.
Virginia’s 2026 Constitutional Amendment
What’s on the ballot this November
Virginia is currently the only state in the South without a total abortion ban or early gestational restriction, with abortion access remaining legal up to the third trimester. This November, voters will decide whether to enshrine this right into the Virgina Constitution, with a vote on constitutional amendment (HJR 1) that would add a right to reproductive freedom. If passed, it would address decisions about prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, contraception, abortion care, miscarriage management, and fertility care. The Commonwealth could only restrict abortion in the third trimester, and never when a physician determines it’s medically necessary to protect the patient’s life or health.
The amendment would also bar penalizing or prosecuting individuals, or the people who help them, for pregnancy outcomes including miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion.
Why this is relevant to survivor advocacy
Reproductive coercion, including forced pregnancy, is a recognized form of intimate partner violence. Legal frameworks around reproductive decision-making are part of the broader landscape advocates should understand when supporting survivors.
Learn more
- Find your representatives if you want to learn where they stand
- Ballotpedia: Virginia Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment for full amendment text and background
Mifepristone Access in the Courts
Medication abortion (the two-drug regimen of mifepristone and misoprostol) accounts for the majority of abortions in the United States and is also used in miscarriage management. Ongoing federal litigation, originating in Louisiana, has repeatedly raised the possibility of new restrictions on telehealth access to mifepristone nationwide, regardless of an individual state’s own abortion laws.
This is relevant background for advocates working with survivors, since telehealth access to medication and miscarriage care can matter for survivors who face barriers like a lack of transportation or being monitored by an abuser. The legal status of this issue is still unsettled as of mid-2026.
Frequently Asked Questions for Survivors and Advocates
- Frequently Asked Questions for Pregnant Survivors: A resource for survivors of violence
- Frequently Asked Questions about Abortion: A resource for advocates working with survivors of violence
Values Messaging & Action Steps for Advocates
Values Messaging: Reproductive Freedom & Choice for Sexual & Domestic Violence Survivors: This document includes a Q & A section explaining how abortion bans harm survivors, Supreme Court case interpretation and messaging, values/harms messaging, and calls to action.
Action Alliance Understanding Reproductive Justice Series
- Part 1: What is Reproductive Justice?
- Part 2: How Does Reproductive Justice Intersect with Sexual and Intimate Partner Violence?
- Part 3: How Can We Build and Foster Reproductive Justice within Sexual and Domestic Violence Agencies?
Action Alliance Policy Position Statements
- Promoting Sexual & Reproductive Health Position Statement
- Promoting Sexual & Reproductive Health Position Infographic
- Emergency Contraception Position Statement
Action Alliance Blog Posts
- Post-Roe America: Why Advancing Reproductive Justice is Essential in Our Work
- Supporting Reproductive Freedom for Survivors During a Global Pandemic
- Building a Culture of Consent in Virginia
- Let’s Talk About Sex(ual) Coercion
Read our Reproductive and Sexual Coercion Toolkit: https://www.communitysolutionsva.org/index.php/resources/item/reproductive-and-sexual-coercion-a-toolkit-for-sexual-domestic-violence-adv
Find an Abortion Provider in Virginia: https://www.abortionfinder.org/abortion-guides-by-state/abortion-in-virginia
Support Safe and Legal Abortion Access in Virginia: https://abortionfunds.org/funds/
Reach out to your representatives and let them know that sexual and domestic violence survivors deserve reproductive freedom!
Use this link to find out who your elected representatives are, including their contact info, if you aren’t sure.
Once you have their contact info, you can use this script to send them a message. Feel free to modify it and make it your own!
“Delegate/Senator (insert name) and team:
As your constituent and as a sexual and domestic violence advocate, I know that reproductive coercion, including forced pregnancy, is a recognized form of intimate partner violence. Laws and policies around reproductive healthcare access are part of the broader landscape that affects survivors’ autonomy and safety.
I wanted to share this perspective from my work supporting survivors as you consider these issues.
Thank you, (Insert name/title)”
Stay In The Know!
The Action Alliance shares several newsletters covering policy action, legislative updates, training, and resources, as well as reflections on sustaining ourselves and each other in this work. Subscribe to one or all to stay informed and connected to the advocates and communities creating change across Virginia.