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Virginia Democrats Want Abortion In The Constitution. 700,000 Catholics Could Stand In Their Way
Daily Caller ^ | 09/19/2026 | Ireland Owens

Posted on 09/19/2026 12:57:58 PM PDT by DFG

While Virginia Democrats are pushing to enshrine abortion rights in the state’s constitution, thousands of Catholics have organized a massive opposition.

In January, Democratic Virginia state lawmakers advanced a constitutional amendment on abortion rights to appear on the November ballot, Virginia Mercury reported. While abortion is presently legal in Virginia up to 26 weeks and six days of pregnancy, the state’s constitution does not at present explicitly protect a right to abortion, 13NewsNow reported.

The proposed amendment asks voters: “Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to (i) protect the freedom to make personal decisions about prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, birth control, abortion, miscarriage management, and fertility care; (ii) protect doctors, nurses, and patients from being punished for these decisions; and (iii) allow for restrictions on access to abortion during the third trimester of pregnancy except when the patient’s health is at risk or the pregnancy cannot survive?”

The ballot measure is supported by Democratic Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger and Democratic Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones. However, some of the state’s roughly 693,000 registered Catholics from both of its two dioceses are urging voters to reject it ahead of Election Day, labeling it as “extreme.”

In a rare move, Catholic Bishop Michael Burbidge of the Diocese of Arlington issued a Sept. 12 letter urging Virginians to join the “Catholics Vote No” campaign, which opposes Ballot Questions 1 and 2. Ballot Question 2 would in part “remove a provision that states marriage is between one man and one woman.”

“[Ballot Question 1] threatens the health and safety of mothers and would allow for abortions targeting healthy babies all the way up to birth,” Burbidge’s letter claims. “The amendment extends this so-called right even to minors. It would remove the role of parents concerning life-altering and irreversible decisions for their minor daughters.“

“The proposed amendment is extreme. It is unnecessary. And it is wrong,” the letter continues.

In August, Burbidge and Bishop Barry Knestout of the Diocese of Richmond issued a joint letter claiming in part that Ballot Question 1 “would endanger women’s health and safety” if passed.

Burbidge also warned against supporting the two ballot measures during Mass at St. Leo the Great Catholic Church in Fairfax on Sept. 13, noting it was the first time he has asked for one of his letters to be read to parishioners “throughout the diocese.”

“Ballot Question number 1 fails to protect the life of the unborn, the health of women, and even fails to respect the rights of parents in the lives of their children. Ballot Question 2 fails to respect the sanctity of marriage as Jesus taught, the sacred union of one man and one woman,” Burbidge told the crowd at Mass. “[We] cannot condone that. We must vote no to those questions and say yes to the truth. I’ve asked that the letter from me be read throughout all the parishes today throughout the diocese, [and] I think it’s the first time I’ve done that during my tenure here. But there’s so much at stake.”

The Arlington Diocese notably comprises 69 parishes in Northern Virginia, with 464,861 registered Catholics and 266 priests.

Some Virginia Catholics are also organizing voter registration drives at their parishes, according to the Arlington Diocese’s website.

The Arlington Diocese did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

When reached for comment, the Richmond Diocese referred the DCNF to a July 6 pastoral letter from Knestout, which says in part: “as voters, we must recognize that laws shape culture and influence the protection of human rights.”

The ballot measure is actually more about Democrats seeking “power” than expanding abortion access, according to CatholicVote President and CEO Kelsey Reinhardt.

“Abortion is already legal in Virginia. That single fact tells you everything you need to know about what this amendment is actually for,” Reinhardt told the DCNF. “This is not about access. It is about permanence and about power.”

“There is a difference between a bishop who issues statements and a bishop who leads. Bishop Burbidge is leading,” she added. “Having his letter read at every Mass across the diocese was not a symbolic gesture … That kind of directness is rare.”

The proposed amendment could make Virginia “one of the most radical states in the country in terms of abortion rights” if it is approved, according to JLK Political Strategies Founder and President Jimmy Keady.

“It would enshrine abortion as a fundamental right in our Constitution, on the same footing as free speech and the Second Amendment,” Keady told the DCNF. “For many Virginians who believe the law should protect unborn life, this is an enormously egregious step that would put common-sense abortion protections beyond the reach of ordinary legislation and make it extremely difficult for future lawmakers and voters to restore any protections for the unborn.”

Keady went on to say that Democrats should not “underestimate the ability of people of faith to organize and make a difference” ahead of Election Day.

“Throughout history, churches and faith communities have played an important role in mobilizing voters and citizens around issues they believe deeply in,” he said. “When people feel strongly about an issue, they can be incredibly dedicated and effective at getting their communities engaged. This effort will be no different if they can translate that conviction into turnout on Election Day.”

Still, pro-abortion groups have claimed Virginia’s Ballot Question 1 represents a major positive step for “reproductive freedom.” The Virginians for Reproductive Freedom campaign maintains that the amendment “would protect our freedom in Virginia to make reproductive health care decisions without fear of government interference or criminal punishment.”

In 2025, there were 39,500 clinician-provided abortions in Virginia, according to estimates from the Guttmacher Institute.

“If passed, Virginia will follow Massachusetts in letting the profiting abortionist alone decide whether a baby is viable and if an abortion is necessary so that the person deciding whether the baby is viable is the same person profiting from her death,” Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America Communications Strategist Tom Olohan told the DCNF. “Virginians must reject this deceptive, extreme, effort from the abortion lobby to push abortion up till birth nationwide.”

Early in-person voting in Virginia opened on Friday and will run through Oct. 31.


TOPICS: Politics
KEYWORDS: abortion; catholic; spanburger; thepartyofdeath; virginia
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1 posted on 09/19/2026 12:57:58 PM PDT by DFG
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To: DFG

When the Roe v Wade overturn leak came out from the Supreme Court staff, there was time for Dems to instantly spring into action. The petition signatures for the abortion ballot proposal went far over the needed total and the Yes votes got the constitutional amendment in Michigan passed 2,482,382 (56.66%) to No at 1,898,906 (43.34%).

Highlight:
(2) The state shall not discriminate in the protection or enforcement of this fundamental right.
(3) The state shall not penalize, prosecute, or otherwise take adverse action against an individual based on their actual, potential, perceived, or alleged pregnancy outcomes, including but not limited to miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion. Nor shall the state penalize, prosecute, or otherwise take adverse action against someone for aiding or assisting a pregnant individual in exercising their right to reproductive freedom with their voluntary consent.


2 posted on 09/19/2026 1:18:30 PM PDT by frank ballenger (There's a battle outside and it's raging. It'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls. )
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To: DFG

Catholics worry about other things.

Biden, Nancy Pelosi... They sort of lead the way regards American Catholics and how you accommodate socialism, modern leftist social theories and religion.


3 posted on 09/19/2026 1:25:00 PM PDT by Red6
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To: DFG

IF only those RCs would vote right.....


4 posted on 09/19/2026 1:41:57 PM PDT by ealgeone
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To: DFG
(Virginia Democrats Want Abortion)

[to mark International Safe Abortion Day.] 🙄🙄🙄

... to mark International
Kill A Helpless Baby Day

AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH:


ABORTION IS MURDER






5 posted on 09/19/2026 1:48:56 PM PDT by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the Days of Lot; They Did Eat, They Drank, They Bought, They Sold ......)
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To: DFG

Forced abortions are genocide.

“Choice” abortions are self-inflicted genocide.


6 posted on 09/19/2026 1:49:50 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (The right of Democrats to embezzle elections shall not be infringed. )
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To: DFG
It’ll pass.

Abortion rights have been codified into law by popular referendum everywhere the issue has been on the ballot, in even the reddest states (of which Virginia is not).

7 posted on 09/19/2026 1:54:01 PM PDT by Drew68
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To: DFG

Abortion is a medical procedure. The words “medical care” or “health” do not appear anywhere in the Constitutio. That was the reason Roe was finally taken out of the mix so the federal government was no longer in the business of funding, deciding on the procedure, and demanding abortions under certain defined conditions. It falls to the individual states only as established in the Tenth Amendment:

The U.S. Constitution leaves any powers not specifically given to the federal government to the states or the people.

They would have to create a new amendment that requires a 2/3 vote of both houses and ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures (or state conventions). An ice cube in hell has a better chance.

wy69


8 posted on 09/19/2026 2:30:42 PM PDT by whitney69
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To: DFG

26 weeks plus? A baby is viable at 23 weeks. This is barbaric.


9 posted on 09/19/2026 2:39:29 PM PDT by DLfromthedesert
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To: DFG

VA Democrats must be devotees of Moloch/Baal, whether of eastern or western derivation, i.e., Canaanite or Carthaginian.


10 posted on 09/19/2026 2:53:50 PM PDT by Belteshazzar
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To: All

At what point in time will the Democrats finally run the Antichrist for President?


11 posted on 09/19/2026 2:54:59 PM PDT by BipolarBob (Bring back disco.)
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To: DFG

If anyone thinks “Catholic” voters are going to mean an abortion amendment will not pass they have not taken into account how many “Catholic” voters are pro-choice. Best to turn that misplaced optimism to faithful Evangelical Christians who have not been captured by the culture. If you add those voters to faithful Catholic voters the preborn in Virginia might still have a chance.


12 posted on 09/19/2026 3:08:03 PM PDT by lastchance (Cognovit Dominus qui sunt eius.)
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To: DLfromthedesert

It’s not just about when a baby may be aborted. It’s about paving the way for infanticide.


13 posted on 09/19/2026 3:10:24 PM PDT by lastchance (Cognovit Dominus qui sunt eius.)
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To: lastchance

RC’s love abortion, fags, pedophiles, trannies. They will vote for abortion.


14 posted on 09/19/2026 4:24:15 PM PDT by ChuckHam
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To: whitney69
Abortion is a medical procedure.

Wrong.

Abortion is killing a baby ... nothing "medical" about it.

15 posted on 09/19/2026 4:26:25 PM PDT by NorthMountain (... the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed)
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To: lastchance; Apple Pan Dowdy; Big Red Badger; boatbums; bonfire; Bulwyf; BDParrish; CityCenter; ...
If anyone thinks “Catholic” voters are going to mean an abortion amendment will not pass they have not taken into account how many “Catholic” voters are pro-choice. Best to turn that misplaced optimism to faithful Evangelical Christians who have not been captured by the culture. If you add those voters to faithful Catholic voters the preborn in Virginia might still have a chance.

Christians make up roughly 61% of adults in Michigan, while 31% are religiously unaffiliated and 6% belong to other faiths. 

Pew Research Center
Overview of Religious Demographics
Recent data from the Pew Research Center Religious Landscape Study outlines Michigan's general adult breakdown: 
Pew Research Center
Detailed Breakdown by Tradition
According to detailed state profiles from organizations like PRRI, specific Christian and non-Christian denominations break down as follows: 
PRRI
Distinct Cultural and Geographic Highlights

16 posted on 09/19/2026 4:26:46 PM PDT by daniel1212 (Turn 2 the Lord Jesus who saves damned+destitute sinners on His acct, believe, b baptized+follow HIM)
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To: ChuckHam

I am Catholic and you insult me and the many Catholics who hold fast to the faith once given to the saints.


17 posted on 09/19/2026 4:46:46 PM PDT by lastchance (Cognovit Dominus qui sunt eius.)
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To: whitney69
> Abortion is a medical procedure.

So is euthanasia.

18 posted on 09/19/2026 5:27:29 PM PDT by SecondAmendment (Political insight on loan from Rush Limbaugh)
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To: lastchance
I am Catholic and you insult me and the many Catholics who hold fast to the faith once given to the saints.

Virginia just turned full blue because many of those faithful Catholics you are talking about turned their back on the faith and voted in abortion and homosexuality.

You and yours insulted God by that vote.
19 posted on 09/19/2026 5:59:30 PM PDT by wbarmy (Trying to do better.)
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To: DFG

Institutionalizing the right to murder and denying all rights of the victim.


20 posted on 09/19/2026 6:06:10 PM PDT by T.B. Yoits
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