Virginia’s “Reproductive Freedom” Amendment: Beware! by Robert G. Marshall

By Robert G. Marshall, Catholic Culture, Oct 13, 2025

Bob Marshall served 26 years in the Virginia House of Delegates and was the chief House sponsor of the 2006 voter-approved Virginia Marriage Amendment and a ban on late term abortion. He recently wrote Reclaiming the Republic: How Christians and Other Conservatives Can Win Back America (TAN Books). Previously, he co-authored Blessed are the Barren, a social history of Planned Parenthood (Ignatius Press). Finally, don’t miss Bob’s Civics Lesson for Catholics in the Catholic Culture Podcast Episode 17. See the full bio.

The State of Virginia’s 2025 General Assembly passed a proposed so-called Reproductive Freedom Constitutional Amendment (RFCA) to Virginia’s Constitution (S.J.Res 247) which will be on Virginia’s November, 2026 ballot if passed a second time by Virginia’s 2026 legislature. Other states have faced or will face similar challenges, so the Virginia experience should put all American citizens on their guard.

Note that court application and interpretation of the RFCA and other similar laws and amendments depends solely on the words used, not on debates, press releases, briefings or obfuscating statements from abortionists designed to minimize voter opposition. Chief Justice John Marshall in 1819 noted, “The words of an instrument, unless there is some sinister design that shuns light, will always represent the intention of those who frame it.” …

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