Virginia AG Jason Miyares Takes Moderate Approach on Abortion in Heavily Divided Swing State

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares has taken a moderate approach regarding a lawsuit that aims to strike down the FDA's approval of mifepristone, an abortion pill. 

Highlights

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
5/12/2023 (1 year ago)

Published in U.S.

Keywords: Abortion, pill, Virginia, Attorney General

While many Republicans are backing the lawsuit, Miyares has refused to get involved, citing uncertainty about the plaintiffs' standing to sue. Miyares also noted that polling suggests most Virginians are against banning abortions early in pregnancy but do not support late-term abortions.

Miyares supports Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin's plan to ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, which is less restrictive than the current law allowing abortion up to 25 weeks. However, the legislation failed to make it out of a Democrat-majority Senate committee earlier this year.

Abortion policy has become a major issue for many voters since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. In the 2022 midterm elections, Republicans failed to capitalize on economic issues and instead gained only a small number of seats in Congress. Pro-life referendums also failed in Kentucky and Kansas, even though they are Republican states.

In Virginia, a candidate who supported a 15-week abortion cutoff won one Congressional seat but lost a tight House of Delegates race. Every seat in the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate is up for election in November, and both parties have already begun airing ads about their stance on abortion. Republicans hold a narrow majority in the House while Democrats have a narrow majority in the Senate.