Youngkin’s second veto of the Virginia Right to Contraception Act underscores a troubling pattern of political resistance to safeguarding access to birth control.
This story was originally published by Dogwood, a Virginia-based newsroom.
Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin earlier this month vetoed two bills that would have guaranteed Virginians access to contraception, marking the second time he has blocked efforts to protect birth control rights through state law.
The legislation, House Bill 1716 and Senate Bill 1105, also known as the Virginia Right to Contraception Act, was passed by the Democratic-controlled General Assembly earlier this year. The bills were designed to preserve access to contraceptives such as birth control pills, IUDs and emergency contraception, particularly in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, and amid national debates over reproductive autonomy.
After it passed in both the House and the Senate, the governor dismissed the legislation as “unnecessary in its current form.” In separate veto statements that were identical word-for-word, he pointed to past Supreme Court rulings—Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) and Eisenstadt v. Baird (1972)—as evidence that contraception access is already protected.
Youngkin objected to what he described as “significant flaws” in the bills, including the absence of a “conscience clause” that would allow healthcare providers to refuse to provide contraception on religious or moral grounds. He also raised concerns about potential litigation under the bills’ civil enforcement provisions.
The governor issued the vetoes on May 2, nearly a year to the day after vetoing similar legislation in 2024. While the text of this year’s bills differed only slightly from the prior version, advocates said the political and legal stakes have grown significantly.
He Sends a ‘Dangerous Message’
Reaction to the Youngkin’s decision was swift from lawmakers and reproductive health advocates, who said the vetoes signal a broader unwillingness to protect personal health decisions at the state level.
The move sends a message that Virginians’ reproductive freedoms are not secure, said Democratic state Sen. Lamont Bagby, chair of the Democratic Party of Virginia.
“Today—exactly three years after we learned Roe v. Wade would be overturned—Glenn Youngkin once again showed his true colors by vetoing the Right to Contraception Act, refusing to protect women’s access to birth control and reproductive healthcare,” Bagby said in a statement. “By vetoing it for a second time, Youngkin didn’t just reject reproductive freedom—he ignored the overwhelming majority of Virginians who believe the right to contraception is essential. His veto sends a clear and dangerous message: Republicans will always leave your freedoms—and your healthcare—on the chopping block.”
Chris Fleming, a spokesperson for Americans for Contraception, a national advocacy group, said the legislation would have offered essential protections to many Virginians in a shifting legal environment. Americans for Contraception works to ensure access to birth control through public education, policy reform and grassroots organizing.
“The veto comes just days after Tennessee’s Republican governor [Bill Lee] signed bipartisan legislation protecting contraception rights—proving that even some conservative states understand what’s at stake,” Fleming said. “But in Virginia, nearly every Republican lawmaker voted against the bill.”
Legislative records show that HB 1716 passed the House on a 53–44 vote, with all voting Republicans opposed. SB 1105 passed the Senate by a 21–18 margin on a second vote, after Democrats used the first vote to force Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears to cast a tie-breaking vote against the bill. Fleming said the move made it clear that she and Youngkin are “working in lockstep to rubber-stamp Donald Trump’s extremist, anti-reproductive rights agenda.”
“Support for the bill was impossible to miss—from a 20-foot IUD named Freeda touring college campuses across the Commonwealth to a box of 55,000 petitions delivered by Sen. Hashmi,” Fleming said. “Virginians have made clear they want contraception protected.”
What the Bills Would Have Done
The Virginia Right to Contraception Act would have created a statutory right to obtain and use contraception in Virginia, while also affirming the right of healthcare providers to prescribe and dispense it. The legislation barred state and local governments from enforcing policies that would restrict access to FDA-approved contraceptives, and it included provisions allowing patients or providers to file lawsuits if those rights were violated.
Supporters said those protections were necessary to give the law teeth—particularly as access to reproductive care continues to vary dramatically across the country.
Jamie Lockhart, executive director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia (PPAV), said the right to contraception is not a partisan issue.
“It’s a healthcare issue. It’s a freedom issue. And it’s a deeply personal issue for millions of Virginians. And it must be protected from political fluctuation,” she said in a statement. “Virginia cannot afford to wait for a national crisis to come to our doorstep.”
PPAV serves as the political and policy arm of Planned Parenthood in the Commonwealth, advocating for laws that protect and expand reproductive healthcare. Lockhart added that the need for a constitutional amendment for Virginians to have the right to choose is “clearer than ever.”
“This is about protecting our health, our futures and our fundamental rights—now and for generations to come,” she said.
