r/Abortiondebate

Greetings everyone!

Welcome to AbortionDebate. Due to popular request, this is our weekly abortion debate thread.

This thread is meant for anything related to the abortion debate, like questions or ideas, that are too small to make an entire post about. This is also a great way to gain more insight in the abortion debate if you are new, or unsure about making a whole post.

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¶1 That every individual has the fundamental right to reproductive freedom, including the ability to make and carry out decisions relating to one's own prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, contraception, abortion care, miscarriage management, and fertility care.

CONCERN with Paragraph ¶1: There are 2 problems here:

1. An individual is anyone. This means that parent's have NO legal role in the care of their pregnant daughter.
2. This amendment goes far beyond the abortion decision. Given this broad sweep – from prenatal to postpartum – it is possible we will experience unintended consequences? This is too broad. Let's stick to abortion.

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¶3: Notwithstanding the above, the Commonwealth may regulate the provision of abortion care in the third trimester, provided that in no circumstance shall the Commonwealth prohibit an abortion (i) that in the professional judgment of a physician is medically indicated to protect the life or physical or mental health of the pregnant individual or (ii) when in the professional judgment of a physician the fetus is not viable.

CONCERN with Paragraph ¶3: THIS IS THE KEY CHANGE.

By law, VA already prohibits abortions after 24 weeks and 6 days (the end of the 2^(nd) trimester), as allowed here. This amendment language is redundant.

By law, VA already allows 3^(rd) trimester abortions...if three physicians agree. It takes 3 doctors.

This law wants to allow 3^(d) trimester abortions on the say of just one physician. This is not safe and open for abuse.

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¶5: The Commonwealth shall not penalize, prosecute, or otherwise take adverse action against an individual based on such individual's own exercise of this fundamental right or such individual's own actual, potential, perceived, or alleged pregnancy outcomes, including miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion. The Commonwealth shall not penalize, prosecute, or otherwise take adverse action against any individual for aiding or assisting another individual in exercising such other individual's right to reproductive freedom with such other individual's voluntary consent.

CONCERN with Paragraph ¶5:

The first individual references providing legal protections for the female carrying the child. That's OK.

But... the phrase "...any individual for aiding or assisting..." protects all medical folks from mistakes made in providing care for this right including medical care for prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, contraception, miscarriage management, fertility care as well as the abortion itself.

This paragraph provides TOO MUCH protection to the medical profession.

-----------#4--------

¶6: For the purposes of this section, a state interest is compelling only if it is for the limited purpose of maintaining or improving the health of an individual seeking care*, consistent with accepted clinical standards of care and evidence-based medicine, and does not infringe on that individual's autonomous decision making.*

CONCERN with ¶6: This language contradicts the entire intent of Individual Choice.

This amendment keeps the state out of the woman's choice on contraception, abortion, etc (in ¶2) NOW, it says the state has the right to intervene to “...help or improve the health of an individual seeking care...”.

This paragraph nullifies “the right” we are seeking to protect here or is way too poorly worded.

---- In Summary---

I WILL NOT SUPPORT THIS AMENDMENT because:

1. This amendment protects the medical profession from any/all pre-post-abortion care. This is way to broad.
2. This amendment wants to allow a 3^(rd) trimester abortion if only ONE doctor agrees to it (instead of the current law which requires three docs). Have we forgotten about the role of individual doctors in the the Oxy epidemic?
3. This amendment allows NO parental involvement for our under 18-year old pregnant daughters.
4. Our November 2026 vote is for an amendment to the Virginia Bill of Rights. This is serious business that, if done wrong, CANNOT be changed by the Legislature.
5. Paragraph Six (**¶**6) is confusing and seems to contradict the Whole Amendment.

-IamTom, 10/4/2026

People tend to be around like minded people. One thing I've noticed is PC that are in safe, firmly PC states and countries have the luxury of being able to not care what PL think or if they change their mind. At the end of the day, it has no impact on them. They can simply tell them "My body, my choice" or insult them, and the only areas that are affected are where PL live.

In states and countries where abortion is restricted, PL need to be persuaded or else we need to accept abortion access will be restricted and women will suffer. While a first trimester cutoff is unacceptable to some PC, its far better than current abortion bans in some states.

Does living in a firmly pro choice area influence how persuasive you are towards PL?

If I was a women and I am DYING during childbirth and my husband has to choose me or an unborn baby and chooses the baby I’d die livid. Because why would you not save your wife? You can always adopt, try again, or something. Why would you be able to comfortably watch someone who you’ve known for years and made so many memories with die and have to raise and watch the product of your dead wife…Like I don’t know but I personally would choose my wife over an unborn baby I have never known or met once in my life. Like I wouldn’t give up my wife’s life for anything and if you will then I’m curious as if you ever even loved your wife to begin with because theirs no way you can go “oh yeah KILL me wife make me single father and give me this random baby I have to watch grow into my wife while I mourn her and give that child an incomplete life with no biological mother.”

A question for PLers who say stuff like "consent to sex is consent to pregnancy":

What do you think is the point of consent? Why would someone care to ask another person for their consent and why would the other person want to be asked for their consent?

And how does your answer square with your demand that people who explicitly reject it need to carry a pregnancy to term?