Virginians Begin Voting: Abortion and Marriage Equality Are on the Ballot

September 21, 2026:

Virginians Begin Voting: Abortion and Marriage Equality Are on the Ballot

Plus, the EPA will test drinking water for abortion pills, and why SCOTUS may weigh in on a multi-state surrogacy fight.

Photograph of protesters outside of the U.S. Supreme Court. One sign reads "Abortion is a personal, not a legal debate."

Each week, Rewire News Group editors scour headlines nationwide—from lawsuits over abortion access to LGBTQ+ rights—to bring you the most urgent news in reproductive justice. Here’s what you need to know from the past week’s biggest stories.

Virginia heads to the polls

Early voting is now underway Virginia, where residents will decide three significant ballot measures. One would constitutionally enshrine Virginia’s current abortion law, which allows abortion through the second trimester and beyond in dangerous pregnancies. Another would constitutionally protect same-sex and interracial marriage, and remove a gay marriage ban. Question 3 would restore voting rights to people convicted of a felony who’ve served their sentences. Democrats also hope to flip two U.S. House districts.

Feds to test water for dubious mifepristone “contamination”

Anti-abortion activists are cheering the EPA’s plan to test drinking water for abortion pill contamination. The study, announced this month, will check urban water samples for mifepristone and misoprostol, among some 1,400 other drugs and chemicals. As Martha Kempner noted in March, mifepristone has no known environmental harms. “These are not people who care about your drinking water,” Kempner wrote. “They are, however, politicians who care very much what goes in—and comes out—of your vagina.”

Surrogate asks SCOTUS to weigh in on her parental rights

The Texas Supreme Court ruled Sept. 17, 2026 that a newborn at the heart of a multi-state surrogacy battle may be moved to California for medical care. Surrogate McKenna West made national headlines in summer 2026 when she flew to Texas, which has a near-total abortion ban, rather than comply with the biological parents’ ask to terminate the pregnancy because the then-fetus had a rare, life-threatening heart defect. In early September, she filed an emergency petition asking the Supreme Court to pause a California court order denying her parental rights to the five-week-old baby, who is reportedly in critical condition. The Court has yet to respond.

This news roundup is adapted from our newsletter, Rewire Weekly. Sign up here to get the latest reproductive rights news, expert analysis, and a peek into the RNG newsroom—fresh to your inbox.

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