This November, Virginians will vote on whether to put reproductive rights into the state constitution. On the same ballot are three Republican members of Congress whose districts could help decide control of the U.S. House, and every one of them has a record of trying to restrict abortion.
The Virginia Mercury laid out those records on October 1. Here's what Rob Wittman, Jen Kiggans and John McGuire have done, and what we confirmed in the federal record.
Rob Wittman: a six-week ban
Rob Wittman represents Virginia's 1st District, which runs from Westmoreland County to Newport News and wraps around Richmond's west side. Larry Sabato's nonpartisan newsletter recently moved the race from "leans Republican" to "toss up."
In 2017, Wittman cosponsored the Heartbeat Protection Act. Reproductive rights advocates have said that bill and others like it would effectively ban abortion at about six weeks.
The bill's name is itself misleading. When Texas passed its own version in 2021, doctors pointed out that at six weeks there is no heart with chambers yet, only electrical activity that an ultrasound machine turns into a sound, as an American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists guide explains.
Since then, Wittman has voted against the Women's Health Protection Act, which would put federal abortion protections back into law, the Mercury reported. His campaign did not reply to the Mercury's requests for an interview.
Jen Kiggans: blocking abortion care for troops and veterans
Jen Kiggans represents the 2nd District, which covers Virginia Beach and the Eastern Shore and has the highest concentration of military members in the state. She is a former Navy helicopter pilot.
On July 13, 2023, Kiggans voted for an amendment to the annual defense bill that would bar the Pentagon from paying for or reimbursing service members' expenses related to abortion, including travel. The House adopted it 221 to 213.
She also voted to block abortions at Veterans Affairs medical centers, the Mercury reported.
Here's how she defended it to a local TV station in 2023: "Taxpayers should not be funding elective procedures. If I wanted to get a Hollywood nose job in California, I do not expect the Navy to pay for my travel expenses to get there."
John McGuire: life begins at fertilization, no exceptions
John McGuire represents the 5th District, Virginia's largest, stretching from north of Charlottesville to Danville. The Cook Political Report moved it from "Solid R" to "Likely R" in late September.
In January 2025, McGuire cosponsored the Life at Conception Act. It would declare that the constitutional right to life applies "at all stages of life, including the moment of fertilization, cloning, or other moment at which an individual comes into being."
The bill has no exception for rape, incest or the life of the pregnant woman, according to the Mercury.
McGuire has called abortion "American genocide" on social media. As a state lawmaker, he carried a bill to block public funding for abortions. His campaign did not respond to the Mercury.
Why this matters now
A Pew Research Center survey this year found 60% of Americans believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
Each of these three has already shown where they stand. We've also tracked the larger push: a growing part of the right now wants to go further and jail women for having abortions.
What the record shows
Rob Wittman cosponsored a 2017 bill that would effectively ban abortion at about six weeks and voted against restoring federal abortion protections. Jen Kiggans voted in 2023 to bar the Pentagon from paying troops' abortion-related expenses, including travel, and to block abortions at VA medical centers, and compared it to paying for "a Hollywood nose job." John McGuire cosponsored a 2025 "life at conception" bill with no exceptions for rape, incest or the woman's life.
