Virginia law guarantees your right to get birth control

Virginia law now says you have a right to get birth control and to use it. That covers contraceptives legally marketed under federal law, including the pill, IUDs and other long-acting methods, and emergency contraception. State and local governments generally can’t pass or enforce rules that limit that right. A restriction can stand only if it meets the law’s safety test with no less restrictive alternative, or if the same rule applies to medically similar products. If an unlawful government rule harms you, you can sue the person or entity that violates, implements, or enforces it. The law also makes clear that nothing in it allows sterilization without a patient’s voluntary, informed consent.

You don’t need to apply or sign up. The right has covered everyone in Virginia since July 1, 2026.

Del. Cia Price carried the House bill, and Sen. Jennifer Carroll Foy carried an identical Senate bill. Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi championed the idea when she served in the state Senate. Lawmakers took it up after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Versions passed the General Assembly in 2024 and 2025, but Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed both, saying he supported access to contraception but citing religious freedom. This year the final version passed the House 64–34 and the Senate 24–15. One House Republican and three Senate Republicans voted for it. Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed it on April 8, 2026, and held a ceremonial signing in Fairfax that June.