Open Letter from Virginia Physicians to the Commonwealth
We as physicians in Virginia, strongly oppose two of the three amendments on the Virginia ballot for mail-in voting (September 18th to October 31st) and in-person voting (November 3rd, 2026).
Proposed Constitutional Amendment 1: Question: Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to (i) protect the freedom to make personal decisions about prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, birth control, abortion, miscarriage management, and fertility care; (ii) protect doctors, nurses, and patients from being punished for these decisions; and (iii) allow for restrictions on access to abortion during the third trimester of pregnancy except when the patient’s health is at risk or the pregnancy cannot survive?
We oppose Amendment 1 because it will likely increase the performance of elective termination of pregnancy in Virginia. The wording is not clear and will be interpreted as also applying to minor children. The result will confuse minors into believing they can seek and have an abortion without the knowledge of their parents or guardian, removing the possibility of counseling by the parents of their minor daughter. Moreover, use of the broad term “postpartum care” which literally means after birth, has no limits and may be interpreted as giving women and physicians the protection to willfully neglect babies and allow them to die after birth, if they choose to do so (previous Governor Dr. Ralph Northum, a pediatric neurologist (https://www.mediaite.com/media/radio/va-gov-northam-endorses-letting-newborns-die-if-its-what-the-mother-and-the-family-desire/).
We believe our Creator God is the author of life, every human is made in His image, and exists for His sovereign purposes. Elective termination of a child in the uterus, or after birth, ends their earthly existence; this short-circuiting of an unborn from womb to tomb circumvents God’s plans for them on earth. We believe that the termination of human life in the womb without a clear medical indication (threat to the physical health of the mother, fetal death) is an abomination to God, as He has revealed to us in His Word, the Holy Bible. In it, God tells us that every human being is His image-bearer (Genesis 1:27). As such, every human being is created with dignity and purpose. God tells us that he foreknew every one of us before He formed us in the womb (Jeremiah 1:5), and He ordained our days before we were born (Psalm 139:13-16). We believe that every human being including those yet to be born has the God-given right to life and taking the most innocent human life, including those yet to be born, violates one of God’s most stringent commandments (Exodus 20:13). God tells us that He hates hands that shed innocent blood (Proverbs 6:16-17).
In Biblical times, God punished His chosen people in the twelve tribes of Israel by exile in surrounding Gentile nations (2 Kings 17:7-20). Why? Because of their disobedience to God’s commandments and statutes He had given them through the prophets in what we know as the Bible. Included in their disobedience was a practice many of the Israelites had begun to follow through their worship of foreign gods of the surrounding Gentile nations—offering the “blood of innocents” to these foreign gods through sacrifice of their children. About this God states, “I did not command or speak of, nor did it even ever enter my mind” (Jeremiah 19:4-7). God did not spare His chosen people from punishment for rebellion against His commandments, so why will He spare the United State for similar rebellion?
Proposed Constitutional Amendment 2: Question: Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to (i) remove the ban on same-sex marriage; (ii) affirm that two adults may marry regardless of sex, gender, or race; and (iii) require all legally valid marriages to be treated equally under the law?
We oppose Amendment 2 because (1) it is a human attempt to expand God’s creation of the two human biologic sexes (Genesis 5:2) and (2) it conflicts with God’s creation of the sacred institution of marriage between a biologic human male and a biologic human female (Genesis 2:24). Moreover, substitution of the word “adults” for persons in this amendment is vague and could allow legalization of marriage between humans and animals. Any other union outside of a biologic human male to a biologic human female is prohibited by God (Leviticus 18:22-23). The sacred institution of marriage between a biologic human male and biologic human female (Genesis 2:22-24) was confirmed by our Redeemer and Savior Messiah Jesus (Matthew 19:4-6), who stated that He did not come to abolish the Law of God, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17).
The above amendments represent progressive rebellion against God’s commandments for every human being. Messiah Jesus commanded us to love God and His image-bearers (every human) with all of our “heart, soul and mind” (Matthew 22:37-39 NASB). As physicians who follow Jesus, we are called to love all persons and give them respect when we see them for health issues in our clinics and hospitals regardless of their race, ethnicity, sexual identity, or prochoice beliefs. However, we believe it is unloving to support anything such as the above amendments which put people in the path of the coming wrath of God. The Apostle Paul warned, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a person sows, this he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7 NASB). These amendments bear the question whether our Creator God has authority over the lives of His created ones in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Both represent a continuing push by some in our society to rebel against any authority our Creator God has on His created ones. God loves each one of us, but He has given guard rails for each of us personally and for society as a whole for our good.
We urge you to vote no on these two proposed amendments.
C. Edward Rose, M.D., Charlottesville, Va
Gerald Teague, M.D., Charlottesville, Va
Michael Marsh, M.D., Port Republic, Va
Peter Rothschild, M.D., Charlottesville, Va
Craig K. Seto, M.D., Charlottesville, Va