Jen Kiggans Voted Multiple Times Against Abortion Access In The Virginia State Senate

2020: Kiggans Voted Against Allowing Nurse Practitioners To Perform Abortions And Repealing Virginia’s Ultrasound Requirement And TRAP Restriction On Abortion Clinics

2020: Kiggans Voted Against Allowing Nurse Practitioners To Perform Abortions And Repealing Virginia’s Ultrasound Requirement And TRAP Restriction On Abortion Clinics. In March 2020, Kiggans voted against SB 733 which “Expands who can perform first trimester abortions to include any person jointly licensed by the Board of Medicine and Nursing as a nurse practitioner acting within such person's scope of practice. The bill eliminates all of the procedures and processes, including the performance of an ultrasound, required to effect a pregnant woman's informed written consent to the performance of an abortion; however, the bill does not change the requirement that a pregnant woman's informed written consent first be obtained. The bill removes language classifying facilities that perform five or more first trimester abortions per month as hospitals for the purpose of complying with regulations establishing minimum standards for hospitals.” The bill passed 20-20 with a tiebreaker. [Virginia General Assembly, SB733, 3/2/20]

Kiggans Said The Ultrasound Requirement And 24-Hour Waiting Period Prior To Abortion Educational Components To Advocate For The Fetus They Carry And Did Not Take Away Quality Health Care

Kiggans Said TRAP Restrictions And Ultrasound Requirements Prior To Abortion Did Not Take Away Women’s Quality Health Care. “This is not about shaming women, it’s not about taking away their quality health care. It’s a time when we need to be supporting women with the crisis that they’re in.” [Twitter, Jen Kiggans (Timestamp 0:13), 1/30/20] (VIDEO)

Kiggans Said The 24-Hour Waiting Period Before Women Could Obtain Abortion Care Was Time To “Arm Them With The Facts” Of Other Options. “There’s other options out there. I don’t think we’ve even discussed them today. There’s adoption, there’s better birth control, better access to birth control, there’s prevention. There’s lots of other things we really need to be focusing on. We need to allow women that are in these crises that the 24-hour waiting period is sometimes the only thing we can give them. Let’s arm them with the facts.” [Twitter, Jen Kiggans (Timestamp 0:13), 1/30/20] (VIDEO)

Kiggans Called The Ultrasound Requirement And 24-Hour Waiting Period Prior To Abortion “Educational Components To Women” To Advocate For The Fetus They Carry. “The biggest and toughest vote we took this week was SB 733 which removes the requirement for an ultrasound prior to an abortion, removes the 24-hour waiting period prior to an abortion, allows nurse practitioners to perform fir trimester abortions, & repeals the requirement for medical professionals to provide certain information prior to an abortion […] I feel we are removing key educational components to women and not advocating for what is best for women nor the innocent life they carry.” [Jen for VA, Fact From The Floor, 2/3/20]

• Kiggans Spoke Of A Patient Of Hers That Committed Suicide Over Guilt Of Getting An Abortion To Prove Abortion And Mental Health Went Both Ways. “This is the year 2020, and I feel like we’ve come a long way. Although I don’t have names of patients, patient privacy issue to list the stories and the people that I’ve treated, for again the mental health crisis and the depression. I too had a patient that committed suicide over guilt of having an abortion 20 years prior, so I think the suicide issue and the mental health issue goes for both sides.” [Twitter, Jen Kiggans, 1/30/20] (VIDEO) [00:00:13]
• Kiggans Called Her Stance Against The Bill A Fight For “People Who Can’t Speak For Themselves.” “Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax broke a 20-20 tie as the chamber approved Senate Bill 733 from Sen. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, which would remove the mandatory 24-hour waiting period and the required ultrasound women must get before proceeding with an abortion. The bill also would remove the requirement that printed material be given to a woman before she could have an abortion. In addition, it would allow nurse practitioners to perform abortions. […] ‘This is our fight for life,’ said Sen. Jen Kiggans, R-Virginia Beach, a nurse practitioner. ‘We're fighting for people who can't speak for themselves.’” [Richmond Times Dispatch, 1/30/20]

Kiggans Voted Against Including Abortion In Virginia Insurance Plans Offered Through The Health Benefits Exchange

2021: Kiggans Voted Against Repealing The Abortion Ban In Virginia’s Exchange Health Insurance Plans. In January 2021, Kiggans voted against SB 1276, which “Removes the prohibition on the provision of coverage for abortions in any qualified health insurance plan that is sold or offered for sale through a health benefits exchange established or operating in Virginia.” The bill passed 20-17. [Virginia General Assembly, SB1276, 1/22/21]

Kiggans Wanted To Vote For A Budget Amendment That Would Have Prohibited State Medicaid From Covering Abortions In Cases Of Incapacitating Physical Or Mental Fetal Deformities

One Of The Government Recommended Budget Amendments Was To Restrict Government Funds For Abortion Services. According to the Virginia Legislative Information System, Youngkin recommended an amendment for, “MEDICAL SERVICES: No expenditures from general or nongeneral fund sources may be made out of any appropriation by the General Assembly for providing abortion services, except otherwise as required by federal law or state statute.” [Virginia Legislative Information System, Governor Amendments, accessed 11/2/23]

Kiggans Voted Not To Pass By The Amendment For The Day. According to the Virginia Legislative Information System, Kiggans was one of 19 Republican Senators who voted not to pass by the amendment for the day. All 20 Democrats, who were in attendance, voted to pass by the amendment for the day. [Virginia Legislative Information System, HB 30: Amendment 30, Passed by for the day (20-Y 19-N), 6/17/22]

Image: see original report, p. 88

[Virginia General Assembly, HB 30: Amendment 30, Passed by for the day (20-Y 19-N), 6/17/22]

NOTE: According to the Virginia Legislative Information System, Passing by for the day is a way to get around voting on the amendment and effectively does not bring it up for a vote again. Kiggans voted to not pass it by for the day to vote on it for the budget.

Virginia Mercury: “In A Closely Watched Vote, The Virginia Senate Narrowly Defeated An Amendment That Would Have Prohibited State Medicaid From Covering Abortions In Cases Of “Incapacitating” Physical Or Mental Fetal Deformities.” “In a closely watched vote, the Virginia Senate narrowly defeated an amendment that would have prohibited state Medicaid from covering abortions in cases of “incapacitating” physical or mental fetal deformities. The measure, which passed the Republican-controlled House on a 51-45 party-line vote, was a late-stage effort to further limit public funding for certain abortion services. Like the federal government, Virginia restricts Medicaid funding for abortions except in cases of rape, incest or pregnancies that threaten the life of the mother. But the state also allows public funding to pay for the service in narrowly defined cases where the infant is almost certain to die during — or shortly after — childbirth. […] Democrats, though, said the amendment would interfere with vital medical care and force a small number of low-income Virginians to carry traumatic pregnancies to term.” [Virginia Mercury, 6/16/22]

• The Amendment “Would Have Prohibited State Medicaid From Covering Abortions In Cases Of Incapacitating” Physical Or Mental Fetal Deformities.” “In a closely watched vote, the Virginia Senate narrowly defeated an amendment that would have prohibited state Medicaid from covering abortions in cases of “incapacitating” physical or mental fetal deformities. The measure, which passed the Republican-controlled House on a 51-45 party-line vote, was a late-stage effort to further limit public funding for certain abortion services. Like the federal government, Virginia restricts Medicaid funding for abortions except in cases of rape, incest or pregnancies that threaten the life of the mother. But the state also allows public funding to pay for the service in narrowly defined cases where the infant is almost certain to die during — or shortly after — childbirth. […] Democrats, though, said the amendment would interfere with vital medical care and force a small number of low-income Virginians to carry traumatic pregnancies to term.” [Virginia Mercury, 6/16/22]
• Democrats Said The Amendment “Would Interfere With Vital Medical Care And Force A Small Number Of Low-Income Virginians To Carry Traumatic Pregnancies To Term.” “In a closely watched vote, the Virginia Senate narrowly defeated an amendment that would have prohibited state Medicaid from covering abortions in cases of “incapacitating” physical or mental fetal deformities. The measure, which passed the Republican-controlled House on a 51-45 party-line vote, was a late-stage effort to further limit public funding for certain abortion services. Like the federal government, Virginia restricts Medicaid funding for abortions except in cases of rape, incest or pregnancies that threaten the life of the mother. But the state also allows public funding to pay for the service in narrowly defined cases where the infant is almost certain to die during — or shortly after — childbirth. […] Democrats, though, said the amendment would interfere with vital medical care and force a small number of low-income Virginians to carry traumatic pregnancies to term.” [Virginia Mercury, 6/16/22]