By Tara Gibson
Founder, Roe Your Vote
"After the fall of Roe v. Wade, I founded Roe Your Vote with a simple mission: to ensure Virginians never again have to rely on a patchwork of protections that can vanish with a single election. That’s why we are working to pass a reproductive freedom constitutional amendment. It’s about ensuring our rights don’t depend on who is in office, but are permanently guaranteed in Virginia’s constitution.
Virginia is now the last state in the South where abortion remains legal without extreme restrictions. Surrounded by states that have banned or severely limited access, we’ve become a critical access point, not only for Virginians but for women and families across the region who have nowhere else to turn to get the health care they need.
What happens here doesn’t just affect us — it affects the millions of people across this country who deserve access to safe reproductive care without fear of prosecution or retribution when they return home.
Virginia-based abortion providers are already “citing an increased uptick in calls to their intake lines” as “higher costs of living mean Virginians seeking abortions have also needed a boost from organizations.”
That’s why the stakes of this election are so high, and why Attorney General Jason Miyares’ anti-abortion crusade is so dangerous. While the role of the attorney general is to protect and defend the law of the commonwealth, Miyares is already working to stop Virginians’ ability to vote on their fundamental rights and freedoms.
Just recently, Miyares aligned himself with the Family Foundation of Virginia for a fundraiser dedicated to blocking Virginia’s abortion amendment “
, declaring he was “excited” about their efforts and the “lasting impact” they would have on our commonwealth.The significance of Miyares’ allegiance to this group — which equated IVF to “child trafficking,” advocated for fetal personhood laws, and supported efforts to defund Planned Parenthood and restrict access to birth control — cannot be understated.
This is nothing new. Miyares has a lengthy, years-long anti-abortion record, including urging the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, calling the decision “good and reasonable,” endorsing a Virginia abortion ban, voting to defund the Virginia League of Planned Parenthood time and again and voting against Virginia’s Reproductive Health Protection Act to push Virginia’s ban on private plans covering abortion.
Earlier this year, Miyares failed to defend Virginians’ reproductive rights yet again, refusing to join a coalition of 22 attorneys general across the country suing to stop Trump’s illegal crusade targeting Planned Parenthood health centers across the country by blocking Medicaid reimbursements for essential health care services. As a result, clinics across Virginia lost funding, “forcing thousands to pay more for reproductive health care, or lose access to it altogether,” according to the Virginia Mercury.
Miyares has proven without a shadow of a doubt that when reproductive rights are on the line, he will always choose anti-abortion extremism. And as Virginians overwhelmingly support protecting the right to an abortion in our state’s constitution, it’s clear that he does not represent the best interests of the commonwealth.
In sharp contrast, Jay Jones has a proven record standing up to reproductive freedom, including expanding access to abortion, making it easier for Virginians to access contraception, and fighting Republican efforts like Miyares’ push to defund Planned Parenthood in the legislature.
As a board member of the Virginia League of Planned Parenthood, Jay worked to keep politicians out of personal medical decisions and support women seeking critical health care.
The stakes in this election could not be higher. Without pro-choice leadership in Richmond, Miyares and his allies will continue trying to roll back our freedoms and deny Virginians a voice. With champions for the rights of Virginia women in office, we can safeguard the amendment process and ensure that, in 2026, Virginians — not politicians — decide whether reproductive freedom belongs in our constitution.
Our rights are on the ballot this year. Jason Miyares has shown us where he stands: with the extremists. Now it’s up to us to show him where Virginians stand — firmly on the side of freedom.