This week, the U.S. Senate failed to pass a bill guaranteeing a right to contraception. A similar bill was vetoed by Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin last month.
Do people in Virginia have a right to contraception? Some Republicans say concerns about that are overblown. But Democrats say ever since the Supreme Court took away abortion rights, access to contraception is at risk. Delegate Cia Price is a Democrat from Newport News who says that contraception is not just about preventing pregnancies. It's also healthcare.
"I could not even be here today without my IUD. I could not do the work of a delegate without my IUD," Price says. "And there are millions of Americans just like me who have no semblance of quality of life without our contraception."
That's why she introduced a bill earlier this year that would’ve guaranteed a right to contraception in Virginia – a bill supported by Democrats who run the General Assembly but opposed by Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin.
"As the bill came through both houses with narrow Democratic majorities, only a tiny handful of Republicans showed that they were even listening to their constituents to vote for this," says Virginia U.S. Senator Tim Kaine. "Our governor vetoed the bill."
That veto was last month. This week, a similar bill failed to get through the U.S. Senate. Later this year, Democrats are hoping to make this a major issue on the campaign trail for the election in November.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
