Press Release
NARAL Pro-Choice America Celebrates State Sen. Jennifer McClellan’s Advancement in VA-04 Special Election
For Immediate Release: Thursday, December 22, 2022
Contact: [email protected]
Washington, DC — Democratic voters in Virginia advanced NARAL-endorsed candidate Virginia State Sen. Jennifer McClellan in the special election for the state’s 4th U.S. Congressional District. State Sen. McClellan is a proven champion who led the passage of the state’s Reproductive Health Protection Act in 2020, expanding abortion rights and access by ending Virginia’s forced waiting period, mandatory ultrasounds, and targeted restrictions on abortion providers. Virginia’s special election will be held on Tuesday, February 21.
NARAL Pro-Choice America President Mini Timmaraju released the following statement in response:
“Virginia Democrats made their values clear: Reproductive freedom is non-negotiable. State Sen. McClellan is a tireless champion for the people of Virginia who will keep fighting to ensure that we can all make the best decisions for ourselves about if, when, and how to start or grow a family. With an anti-choice majority in the U.S. House, we need her voice and her vote now more than ever.”
In June, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization—ending the constitutional right to abortion and opening the door for extremist state lawmakers to put total bans on abortion in place. This decision is having a devastating impact throughout the country as 17 states are enforcing bans on abortion. The people hurt most by these bans and restrictions are those who already face barriers to accessing abortion care—including women; Black, Latina/x, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Indigenous people; those working to make ends meet; the LGBTQ+ community; immigrants; young people; those living in rural communities; people with disabilities, and other historically oppressed communities.
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For over 50 years, NARAL Pro-Choice America has fought to protect and advance reproductive freedom at the federal and state levels—including access to abortion care, birth control, pregnancy and post-partum care, and paid family leave—for every body. NARAL is powered by its 4 million members from every state and congressional district in the country, representing the 8 in 10 Americans who support legal abortion.