The issue of abortion and a woman’s right to choose has been front and center in the Virginia primary race in which Sen. Joseph D. “Joe” Morrissey and Lashrecse Aird are vying to become the Democratic candidate for the state 13th Senate District.

Sen. Morrissey has held the 16th Senate District seat since his election in November 2019 and represented the 74th District in the House of Delegates from 1989 to 1993. Despite being twice-disbarred and serving a prison sentence while holding office, Sen. Morrissey is seen as an effective grassroots politician and fierce campaigner.

This election, however, has seen some taking political steps that are out of the ordinary — at least in part because of the 66-year-old senator’s stance on abortion. Sen. Morrissey has stated that he does not support abortion as it conflicts with his Catholic beliefs.

The senator was rebuked by all six Democratic women serving in the Virginia Senate. They have chosen to break convention by endorsing Sen. Morrissey’s opponent. In another unusual move, the Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia have also chosen to back Ms. Aird in the Democratic primary race.

Ms. Aird, who will turn 37 this month, is the chief of staff at the Richard Bland College of William & Mary. She became the youngest woman ever to serve in the House of Delegates when she was elected to represent the 63rd District in November 2015, but lost the seat to a Republican opponent in 2022.

Saturday will be the last day of early voting before the Democratic primary on Tuesday, June 20. As voters continue to make up their minds and head to the polls, the Richmond Free Press asked following questions to each of the candidates.

Free Press: What do you intend to do on the issue of gun violence?

Mrs. Aird: On the issue of gun violence I believe in prioritizing prevention. In order to prevent gun violence we must take a multi-pronged approach. We have to get real about the root causes resulting in people turning to guns to begin with. We must also commit to acknowledging we still have a lot of work to do in Virginia to improve our strained mental health system to ensure those in need are getting the care they deserve. In addition, we must eliminate assault weapons and the use of high capacity magazines. This must change if we are serious about prevention.

Free Press: How would you improve education in the district?

Mrs. Aird: In every part of the district, families are concerned about our schools. Our children deserve the very best public schools — to include modernization of our facilities. Educators and school administrators are desperate for an increase in their wages and resources, while students need mental health and increased academic support. During my time in the House of Delegates I introduced legislation to fully fund our SOQ’s (Standards of Quality) and I believe in continuing to push for the full funding of our schools. Education has been a top priority in the past and will continue to be one in the future.

Free Press: What steps would you take to address affordable housing?

Mrs. Aird: In 2020, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) conducted a review of affordable housing in Virginia. I support their recommendations to have Virginia Housing reinvest a portion of its net income into a program to expand access to affordable housing, Resources Enabling Affordable Community Housing (REACH). In addition, I will advocate for a comprehensive state-led effort to identify and plan for housing needs statewide. JLARC shared that state officials need statewide, regional, and locality-specific information on housing needs to make informed decisions about how and where to deploy available resources, and I agree this would be an invaluable first step to make policy and funding decisions.

Free Press: Do you support maintaining Virginia’s current abortion laws? If not, how should the laws be changed? If so, does Virginia’s constitution need an amendment to protect women’s reproductive rights?

Mrs. Aird: Reproductive access, which includes maternal health, contraception as well as abortion, should be in the Virginia Constitution. To ensure the well-being of individuals, their families and our communities, reproductive health care must be accessible. It is intrinsically linked to all financial, mental and psychological aspects of life. As such I support our existing laws but we must protect the rights that exist in Virginia today and cement them in our constitution.

Free Press: If elected, what other issue do you see as being a priority?

Mrs. Aird: Access to quality and affordable healthcare continues to be a critical issue all around the district, while the rising costs in particular are burdening families of all economic makeup. If elected I will prioritize exploring the reduction of costs through regulation, and adopt policy that offers incentives to reduce the utilization of low-value care, as first steps.

Free Press: What do you intend to do on the issue of gun violence?

Sen. Morrissey: Before I answer this question, let me take a moment to express my profound condolences to those families that lost loved ones as well as those individuals whose lives were forever changed by the tragedy at the Altria Theater last Tuesday, June 6, 2023. As a State Senator, I have already taken steps to address this issue of gun violence. During the 2023 Session, I introduced SB 918, which would have prohibited the sale of assault firearms and large capacity ammunition feeding devices.

Finally, there have been 58 school shootings in Virginia since 1971. That stunning statistic alone warrants the banning of these weapons of war!

Free Press: How would you improve education in the district?

Sen. Morrissey: One of the most successful efforts to im- prove education in school districts around the country are those programs that allow individuals in non-education related careers, who are looking for a second career, to use their expertise (e.g. math, science, accounting, etc.) to teach in public schools without having to get a formal education certificate. In other words, their life experiences as a pharmacist, accountant, budget analyst, etc. would allow them entry to teach in a related field. This program should be instituted in Virginia immediately.

Free Press: What steps would you take to address affordable housing?

Sen. Morrissey: Every single new housing development, without exception, must set aside a dedicated portion to afford- able housing. Additionally, affordable housing should not be clustered in one particular area. After 75 years of failure, we now realize that clustering individuals in “housing projects” is a pathway to disaster. Instead, in return for developers being given rights to develop a housing track, require that they set one-third of the housing aside for affordable housing.

Free Press: Do you support maintaining Virginia’s current abortion laws? If not, how should the laws be changed? If so, does Virginia’s constitution need an amendment to protect women’s reproductive rights?

Sen. Morrissey: As I have repeatedly said, a woman’s decision to have an abortion is between herself and her physician. I do not believe that legislators should be telling women what they can and cannot do with their bodies. Additionally, we need to have exceptions in cases of rape, incest, and when the mother’s life is in danger.

Free Press: If elected/re-elected, what other issue do you see as being a priority?

Sen. Morrissey: I have served in the General Assembly for nearly 13 years. My primary focus during this time has been on criminal justice reform. I have introduced and passed over 21 criminal justice related bills that have had a huge impact on the Commonwealth, from abolishing the death penalty, to ending solitary confinement to doubling the number of mental health dockets. Additionally, it was my legislation that reestablished parole for juveniles, geriatric defendants and Fishback defendants. Finally, it was my legislation that ended the jury penalty and now allows individuals to have jury trials but sentencing by judges that can take a multitude of factors into consideration at sentencing.

If re-elected, I would focus on reestablishing parole for all incarcerated inmates as well as eliminating mandatory minimum sentences.