REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

With bipartisan backing and pressure from formerly incarcerated women, Virginia lawmakers have banned shackling during labor in jails—and made it easier for pregnant people to await trial at home.

The Trump administration announced on Tuesday that it would revoke guidance to the nation’s hospitals that directed them to provide emergency abortions for women when they are necessary to stabilize their medical condition.

In an exclusive op-ed for The Dogwood, Jamie Lockhart, the Executive Director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia, announces the organization is endorsing Democrat Abigail Spanberger for governor.

Abortion is already excluded from coverage—the new bill is going after all health care services the clinics provide for low-income Americans.

With abortion bans tightening across the South, Virginia is absorbing a growing number of out-of-state patients—straining clinics, stretching support networks, and raising the stakes for future protections.

For the second year in a row, Virginia’s governor rejected legislation that would have guaranteed access to birth control. Advocates said the decision continues to leave Virginians vulnerable.

Felicia D. Cosby wasn’t expecting a student’s casual comment to spark a public health initiative. But when a student told her she’d love to be a doula, the idea stuck. Months later, Virginia Union University became the first HBCU in the state to launch a doula certification program.

Without Title X federal support, repro clinics in Richmond, Hampton, and other cities may be forced to scale back essential care for low-income patients.

Gov. Youngkin’s recent changes to the Virginia Right to Contraception Act and the Contraceptive Equity Act will leave Virginians with fewer contraception and other reproductive health care options.

While state law requires menstrual products in Virginia public schools, the absence of state funding forces nonprofits to shoulder the burden.