HJ 1: Constitutional Amendment on “Reproductive Freedom“
⚫ THREAT LEVEL: CRITICAL
BILL SNAPSHOT
Bill Number: HJ 1
Bill Patron: Del. Charniele L. Herring
Issue Area: Abortion
Who It Will Impact: All Virginians (Constitutional Amendment)
QUICK SUMMARY
HJ 1 amends the Virginia Constitution to create a fundamental right to abortion in the third trimester.
RALLY ANALYSIS
HJ 1 permanently embeds expansive abortion rights into the Virginia Constitution. The language is intentionally broad and vague to make future safeguards extraordinarily difficult to enact.
The inclusion of “mental health” as a justification effectively eliminates meaningful third-trimester limits, as it creates an open-ended exception with no objective standard. Once enshrined in the Constitution, even commonsense protections, such as parental involvement, informed consent, or health and safety standards, could be challenged as unconstitutional “burdens.”
WHY THIS MATTERS
- Permanent constitutional change with no easy path to reversal
- Third-trimester limits are weakened through broad exceptions
- Parental rights and safety regulations get weaker and weaker
- Public debate is shut down by locking policy into the Constitution
WHO PAYS THE PRICE?
- Voters: Lose their voice
- Parents: Rights weakened
- Virginia: Permanent policy, no flexibility
RALLY VERDICT: ❌ STRONGLY OPPOSE
Rally Virginia strongly opposes HJ1. Virginians deserve laws shaped through open debate and accountable representation. The Constitution should protect our liberty, not be used to impose irreversible ideology.
RALLY RADAR — THREAT LEVEL LEGEND
⚫ CRITICAL THREAT — Immediate and severe harm; must be stopped
🔴 HIGH THREAT — Serious risk to safety, liberty, or governance
🟡 MODERATE THREAT — Concerning but limited scope
🟢 LOW THREAT — Minimal impact or symbolic
