Abortion in the U.S. state of Virginia is legal up to the end of the second trimester of a pregnancy.[1] Before the year 1900, abortion remained largely illegal in Virginia, reflecting a widespread trend in many U.S. states during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Abortion was viewed as a criminal act and subject to state laws that prohibited it. However, by 1950, Virginia introduced a legal therapeutic exception, allowing for abortion under specific circumstances, primarily when a woman's physical or mental health was at risk. Notably, the University of Virginia Hospital established a review board in 1950 responsible for evaluating and approving abortion requests, particularly those grounded in psychiatric reasons. This thorough approval process resulted in a significant decrease in the number of abortions performed at the hospital.
In a landmark 1975 case, Bigelow v. Virginia, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered a pivotal ruling that declared state bans on abortion clinics advertising their services unconstitutional. This decision marked a turning point, ensuring that abortion providers in Virginia and across the country could openly communicate and provide information about their services to the public.
By 2007, Virginia enacted an abortion-specific informed consent requirement, mandating that women seeking abortions be provided with essential information regarding the procedure, its associated risks, and available alternatives before proceeding. The number of abortion clinics in Virginia has experienced fluctuations over the years. In 1982, the state boasted 71 abortion clinics, but this number dwindled to 64 by 1992 and further declined to a mere eighteen in 2014. The fluctuation can be attributed to various factors, including regulation changes, healthcare access, and political developments.
Abortion statistics in Virginia have revealed that there were 20,187 legal abortions performed in 2014, and this figure slightly decreased to 18,663 in 2015, providing insights into the scale of abortion procedures within the state's legal framework. Virginia boasts active abortion rights and anti-abortion rights activist communities, with advocacy groups on both sides playing significant roles in shaping the state's policies and regulations.