VA-SD07: Abortion at the forefront in special election for Virginia Senate seat
RICHMOND — What could have been a sleepy special election for a single legislative seat in Virginia Beach has instead drawn heaps of money and national attention — in large part because of abortion.
Leaders on both sides of the abortion debate claim that whoever wins the state Senate seat in Tuesday’s election — in which an abortion rights Democrat will face off against a Republican who favors a 15-week ban — will play an outsize role in shaping Virginia’s laws on the subject.
The election, to fill the swing-district seat vacated by Republican Jen A. Kiggans after she was elected to Congress in November, occurs against the backdrop of a proposal by Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) to ban the procedure in Virginia after 15 weeks of pregnancy, with exceptions for rape and incest, and to preserve the mother’s life.
But Youngkin, a potential 2024 presidential candidate, has hinted that he is willing to go further. At a gathering in June to celebrate the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling that had legalized abortion nationwide, Youngkin said he believes life begins at conception, and he said he would “gleefully” sign “any bill [to protect life] that comes to my desk.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/01/06/virginia-senate-kiggans-abortion-rouse-adams/
