Virginia General Assembly Update – Week 1

The 2026 General Assembly session began this Wednesday, January 14, and got off to an extremely fast start. Here were the major happenings.

Virginia Pro-Life Day: Everywhere you looked yesterday in Richmond there were pro-life advocates! Over 600 attendees came from Winchester, Charlottesville, Purcellville, Newport News, Alexandria, Roanoke, Bristow and everywhere in between to witness to life and to speak out against the extreme proposed constitutional amendment on abortion. Virginia Pro-Life Day brought a message of love and the sacredness of every life to the halls of the General Assembly. Many participants joined Bishop Knestout and Bishop Burbidge for a beautiful Mass to conclude the day. Thank you to all the attendees who joined us to be a voice for the voiceless!

Constitutional amendments: Earlier this week, we sent you action alerts on three proposed constitutional amendments – the extreme abortion amendment, the amendment to repeal the one-man/one-woman marriage provision approved by Virginia voters in 2006, and the amendment to restore voting rights to all who have completed their prison sentences. In a highly unusual series of actions, all three proposals completely cleared the General Assembly process in the first three days of session – with final passage occurring earlier this afternoon. Here are the House and Senate votes on the abortion amendment, the House and Senate votes on the marriage amendment, and the House and Senate votes on the voting rights amendment. Bishop Burbidge and Bishop Knestout released a statement regarding these outcomes and the vast amount of work that lies ahead, highlighting the need to “fight the extreme abortion amendment with maximum determination.” All three measures will proceed to referendum for voters to decide later this year.

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In prayer and in public, your voices are urgently needed to bring Gospel values to bear on vital decisions being made by those who represent you.

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The Virginia Catholic Conference is the public policy agency representing Virginia’s Catholic bishops and their two dioceses.