Senator Hashmi and Delegate Price Demand Governor Youngkin Sign the Right to Contraception Act
RICHMOND, Va. — The Virginia General Assembly today sent the Right to Contraception Act (SB 1105/HB 1716) as it was originally passed back to Governor Glenn Youngkin’s desk, placing the future of this fundamental right squarely in the governor’s hands.
The Right to Contraception Act would codify the right for patients to use and doctors to prescribe contraception—including birth control pills, IUDs, condoms, and emergency contraceptives. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists was among the many groups who testified in support of the bill.
2025 marks the second consecutive year that Youngkin has attempted to gut the wildly popular legislation successfully passed by Senator Ghazala Hashmi (D-Richmond) and Delegate Marcia “Cia” Price (D-Newport News) through the Virginia General Assembly. Youngkin’s substitute version of the bill would have removed both the definition of contraception (including explicit protections for IUDs and emergency contraceptives, which some extremist groups inaccurately claim cause abortions) as well as its enforcement mechanism – rendering the bill a meaningless policy statement.
Senator Hashmi, patron of SB 1105, said, “Let’s be absolutely clear: Governor Youngkin’s amendment was not a compromise — it’s a calculated move to make it appear as though he supports contraception while stripping the bill of both its definition and its enforcement mechanism. It is not worth the paper it is written on. The General Assembly has spoken. We passed a strong, clear bill that reflects the will of the people. Our legislation is about personal freedom, privacy, and bodily autonomy. Now, the Governor must choose: Will he stand with the overwhelming majority of Virginians or with extremists working to roll back our rights? He must sign the bill as written.”
“Virginians want to know that their right to contraception is secure, period,” said Delegate Price, patron of HB 1716. “Any high school government student who turned in a policy paper like Gov. Youngkin’s substitute for this bill would have gotten an F. There is no right unless we both define and enforce it. The General Assembly has done its job by rejecting the Governor’s meaningless excuse for a substitute. The only thing standing in the way of this protection becoming law is Governor Youngkin. He should sign the bill immediately.”
National threats to contraception rights are growing, with the Trump administration freezing tens of millions of dollars of family planning funding just yesterday. Trump has also stated he was “looking at” restrictions on birth control, Project 2025 lays out a blueprint for undermining emergency contraception, and Justice Clarence Thomas has called for his colleagues to reconsider Griswold v. Connecticut, the Supreme Court ruling that established the right to contraception.
Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears voted against the Right to Contraception Act earlier this year, and today walked away from a reporter who asked her why she voted against it.
Senator Hashmi last month delivered more than 55,000 petitions from Virginians asking the governor to sign the bill.
About the Author
You have to ask
Whats really in this bill ?
No one is stopping anyone from contraception.
Is it more likely its a Federal or State funded attempt to pay for this ??