Youngkin taps Va. lawmakers to draft 15-week abortion ban

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) said he will attempt to ban most abortions after 15 to 20 weeks of pregnancy following the Supreme Court’s ruling that overturns the constitutional right to an abortion.

Youngkin said he had asked four lawmakers to craft legislation.

“The truth is, Virginians want fewer abortions, not more abortions. We can build a bipartisan consensus on protecting the life of unborn children, especially when they begin to feel pain in the womb, and importantly supporting mothers and families who choose life,” he said in a statement.

In a conversation Friday with The Washington Post, he said he would like the cutoff to be at 15 weeks but acknowledged a possible compromise of 20 weeks in a split state legislature.

The Supreme Court on Friday overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case that required states to allow abortions up to around 24 weeks of pregnancy.

Under current Virginia state law, abortion is legal in the first and second trimesters, or up to 26 weeks of pregnancy. It is only allowed in the third trimester if the woman’s life or mental or physical health is in danger.

Youngkin told the Post that he would support exceptions for rape, incest and when the mother’s life is in danger. 

In January, a Virginia lawmaker introduced a bill in the GOP-controlled lower chamber that would ban abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Democrats currently control the upper chamber by two seats. When the General Assembly reconvenes in January, any piece of legislation would have to pass both chambers.

Virginia’s Republican attorney general, Jason Miyares, earlier this year had urged the court to overturn Roe and return the authority to the states, a shift from the viewpoint of the previous Democratic administration.