Virginia bishops warn of ‘extreme’ pro-abortion amendment ahead of gubernatorial election

Richmond, Virginia, Oct 8, 2025 / 07:00 am

Virginia’s two Catholic bishops are urging voters to “form [their] consciences and vote” in the state’s upcoming gubernatorial election that could also see the state poised to pass a far-reaching pro-abortion constitutional amendment.

The Virginia Catholic Conference at its “Election 2025 Resource Hub” tells voters that every seat in the state House of Delegates is up for vote, while the state’s top-ranking executive positions of governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general are also in play.

“While every year in Virginia is an election year, this November’s elections are poised to have an outsized impact on our Commonwealth,” the bishops said.

They pointed to the state government’s ongoing consideration of an “extreme constitutional amendment” that would establish a so-called “right” to abortion.

A letter from Arlington Bishop Michael Burbidge and Richmond Bishop Barry Knestout said the amendment would “allow virtually unlimited abortion at any stage of pregnancy.”

The text of the proposal would establish a “fundamental right to reproductive freedom” and would only allow regulating abortion in the final three months of pregnancy.

The state, however, would be forbidden from restricting an abortion if a doctor determined it would negatively affect the “physical and mental health” of the mother, a provision that pro-life advocates have argued essentially preempts any regulation of abortion whatsoever.

In a voting guide the state Catholic conference noted that the “extreme, radical, and deadly” amendment includes no age restrictions or safety standards and also “jeopardizes” the state’s parental consent laws and conscience protections for health care workers.

Other proposed amendments include one that would remove a “one man and one woman” definition of marriage from the state constitution as well as a proposal backed by the state bishops that would restore voting rights to criminals who have completed their prison sentences.

“The legislators we elect this November will decide whether the proposed amendments are advanced or stopped,” the state conference said.

Democratic candidate supports abortion, assisted suicide, opposes conscience protections

Competing in the state gubernatorial race this year are current Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Virginia.

In a candidate comparison handout, the state bishops noted that Spanberger has voiced support for assisted suicide, while Earle-Sears has argued against it, stating: “We don’t want to be in the business of death.”

Earle-Sears, meanwhile, has expressed support for legal conscience protections for health care professionals and other religious objectors, while Spanberger has explicitly said she opposes allowing religious institutions to opt out of medical procedures with which they disagree.

The bishops further highlighted the state races for lieutenant governor and attorney general. Former State Del. Jay Jones, a Democrat who is running for attorney general, has voiced support for abortion and for now-repealed state rules that allowed teachers to hide a child’s chosen “gender identity” from his or her parents. Current Attorney General Jason Miyares has spoken out against such rules.

In a separate handout, the state Catholic conference emphasized the “four principles of Catholic social teaching” articulated by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, including “the dignity of the human person” and “the common good.”

Protecting human dignity, the bishops said, includes opposing abortion, euthanasia, and human cloning as well as “overcoming poverty, ending use of the death penalty, and opposing racism, torture, unjust war,” and other injustices.

“With so much at stake, we must prepare to engage in this year’s critical voting decisions — through conscience formation, prayer, and fasting,” Burbidge and Knestout wrote.

“United in the Eucharist, let us pray for one another and join together as active participants in promoting the common good.”

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