Mental Health

A proposed constitutional amendment in Virginia, presented as protecting reproductive freedom, would establish abortion as a fundamental right and could invalidate existing parental consent laws and third-trimester abortion restrictions. The amendment's broad language may also raise concerns about its impact on religious liberty and pro-life speech, while limiting the state's ability to regulate late-term abortions based on a physician's judgment of physical or mental health.

A study by Do No Harm found that states banning gender-transition procedures for minors show no increase in teen suicide rates, challenging claims that such restrictions harm youth mental health. The Virginia abortion amendment on the ballot contains vague language that could be interpreted to protect access to gender-transition treatments for minors, including sterilization, potentially increasing such procedures without parental consent.

Virginia voters will decide on a constitutional amendment that changes Article I, Section 11 of the state constitution to allow abortion up to birth with minimal restrictions, including a mental health standard and no parental permission for minors. Polls show initial support for the amendment, but opposition increases when voters learn about its full implications, and the pro-life community is actively working to increase voter turnout against it despite being outspent financially.