NIRH Applauds Virginia Senate and House of Delegates for Passing Proactive Legislation Expanding Reproductive Freedom and Access to Abortion

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 27, 2020
Contact: Marisa Rodriguez, [email protected]

Statement from Andrea Miller, president, National Institute for Reproductive Health (NIRH) and NIRH Action Fund

NEW YORK – Andrea Miller, president of the National Institute for Reproductive Health (NIRH), released the following statement today after the Virginia House of Delegates passed the Reproductive Health Protection Act, following passage by the Virginia Senate. The bill, once signed into law, will remove political interference between a patient and their doctor and eliminate medically unnecessary restrictions for a patient seeking access to abortion.

“After voters flipped the Virginia General Assembly, NIRH congratulates state legislators on stepping up to take necessary action to protect abortion access at a time when basic access to abortion is under attack across the country,” said Andrea Miller, president of the National Institute for Reproductive Health and the NIRH Action Fund. “After vicious and deceptive attacks on abortion access last year, today’s passage is a testament to the impact and power of grassroots activists and advocates, and proof that when voters make their voices heard at the ballot box, elected officials rise to the occasion. We look forward to seeing Governor Northam sign the bill into law, making Virginia a true point of access for people seeking abortion care.”

For more than a decade, NIRH has been a leader in the fight to advance reproductive freedom across the country. NIRH partners with state organizations and elected officials to pass laws protecting abortion rights and expanding abortion access. NIRH and its Action Fund have partnered with advocates in Virginia over the past five years to elect champions for reproductive freedom and push forward proactive policy on abortion access, while building a positive narrative for reproductive freedom. In 2020, NIRH is also working with partners in Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, and New Jersey to continue expanding access to abortion, creating as many oases for abortion access as possible.

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The National Institute for Reproductive Health builds power at the state and local level to change public policy, galvanize public support, and normalize women’s decisions about abortion and contraception.

Using a partnership model, NIRH provides state and local advocates with strategic guidance, hands-on support, and funding to create national change from the ground up. We form strategic partnerships with a wide range of organizations to directly impact the reproductive health and lives of women across the country. Each year, NIRH works in about half the states and more than a dozen localities; to date, NIRH has partnered with 181 reproductive health, rights, and justice organizations in 43 states and 71 localities across the country.