Birth Control

This is a bill to add a new part to Virginia law, which includes sections about:

• Birth control that has been called safe by the national government office in charge of making sure food and medicine are safe.

  • Birth control: any medicine, tool, or body product that is supposed to prevent pregnancy.

• The right to this birth control 

• Making sure people follow the rules

• This bill defines certain words:

  • Contraception: anything done to prevent pregnancy, including using birth control or operations to stop a person from getting pregnant or making someone else pregnant.

  • Contraceptive: any medicine, tool, or body product that is supposed to prevent pregnancy.

    • Also called “birth control”

    • Can be specifically for that or a different health need. This includes: 

• If this bill passes:

  • People can get and use birth control.

  • Healthcare professionals can offer: 

    • Birth control 

    • Information about birth control.

  • The things allowed in this bill cannot be limited or blocked by any law or rule that slows down people getting birth control or information about birth control.

  • To convince that a law or rule gets in the way of getting birth control or info about birth control, someone has to prove that the law or rule:

    • Really makes birth control or information about it safer AND that something simpler cannot be done to make it safer 

    • Treats birth control just like other similar medical options.

  • The government cannot make any rules or do anything to:

    • Stop or limit birth control from being sold or provided.

    • Stop anyone from helping others get birth control.

    • Makes birth control harder to sell, provide, get, or use.

  • If someone is impacted by a law or rule that goes against this one, they can use this one if someone tries to sue them.

  • The state’s head lawyer can start a lawsuit for the state against anyone who breaks or tries to make a rule that goes against this one.

    • Anyone can start a lawsuit if they notice someone else: 

      • Breaking one of these rules.

      • Making a rule that goes against these ones.

  • Healthcare professionals can sue if they or someone they work with is impacted by someone breaking these rules

  • If a court decides that someone is breaking these rules with another law or rule , it can say the other law or rule does not count.

• This bill does NOT make it okay to give people medical treatments that stop them from getting pregnant without them saying that they definitely want that.

Position Statement: 

New Disabled South supports the changes in this bill because they will make it easier and safer for the people of Virginia to make their own choices about their bodies, specifically getting pregnant. The changes in this bill also protect against future laws that could try to stop the people of Virginia from being able to make choices about getting pregnant.