Merianne Jensen

I've been driving around Northern VA a lot on the campaign trail, and I’m finally seeing gas breaking below $3.90 for the first time in a long time. It took longer than we wanted, but I'm excited to see relief is on the way. Wednesday morning, the Wall Street Journal reported that Middle East oil exports have now surpassed pre-war levels, averaging more than 24 million barrels a day, thanks to a shipping system under U.S. protection. We owe a big thank you to the @USNavy and to all our men and women in uniform for everything they are doing to make this happen. Relief at the pump is good news for every family in VA-10, whatever your politics. Now is not the time to hand our government to the socialists and watch these falling prices tick back up. 🇺🇸

Before you vote this November, read the full text of the abortion amendment, not just the question on the ballot. Just like the redistricting referendum in April, the ballot language is written with a bias. It protects “every individual,” not every woman. In plain language, the text sets no age limit, so it covers minors. In the third trimester, the state “may regulate,” but it can never prohibit an abortion that “in the professional judgment of a physician” is needed to protect “physical or mental health.” In plain language, all it takes is the opinion of one physician, with no second opinion required. It could be the same doctor who is profiting from a woman going through with the procedure. And nothing in the text sets a cutoff, so that exception can apply right up to the day of birth. It also says the state cannot “penalize, prosecute, or otherwise take adverse action against any individual for aiding or assisting” another person’s abortion. In plain language, that protects the doctor performing it, and anyone else who helps. In the case of a minor, that could include an individual who is not her parent. If something went wrong in the procedure, God forbid, the clause is written to shield the person who performed it from state action, not the woman who was harmed. I understand and agree with the intent to protect women, but this amendment protects the choice only, not the woman making it. It wipes out parental rights in the case of minors, it requires only one physician’s opinion, and it shields the doctor and anyone who assists from state action, including an individual who is not her parent. That can completely isolate a woman or young girl making a life-altering decision without her family or her support system. The Constitution of Virginia is very hard to change once something is in it, and this is not the right thing to put there. Real support for women means helping them through a difficult time with resources, counseling, and care, like the crisis pregnancy centers that serve women in our communities. Abortion remains legal in Virginia whether this passes or not, so let’s take a mulligan and find a better way to protect women and girls. Vote NO. -- @Virginia10GOP @LoudounGOPWomen @LoudounGOP @PWCGOP @VA_GOP