{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/18.2-72.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/18.2-72.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/18.2-72.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/18.2-72.html"}],"law_id":76148,"edition_id":1,"section_id":76148,"structure_id":14910,"section_number":"18.2-72","catch_line":"When abortion lawful during first trimester of pregnancy","history":"1975, cc. 14, 15; 2020, cc. 898, 899; 2023, c. 183.","full_text":"Notwithstanding any of the provisions of \u00a7 18.2-71, it shall be lawful for (i) any physician licensed by the Board of Medicine to practice medicine and surgery or (ii) any person jointly licensed by the Boards of Medicine and Nursing as an advanced practice registered nurse and acting within such person’s scope of practice to terminate or attempt to terminate a human pregnancy or aid or assist in the termination of a human pregnancy by performing an abortion or causing a miscarriage on any woman during the first trimester of pregnancy.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":273328,"text":"Notwithstanding any of the provisions of \u00a7 18.2-71, it shall be lawful for (i) any physician licensed by the Board of Medicine to practice medicine and surgery or (ii) any person jointly licensed by the Boards of Medicine and Nursing as an advanced practice registered nurse and acting within such person’s scope of practice to terminate or attempt to terminate a human pregnancy or aid or assist in the termination of a human pregnancy by performing an abortion or causing a miscarriage on any woman during the first trimester of pregnancy.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":14910,"edition_id":1,"name":"Abortion","identifier":"9","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13100,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:50:44","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:50:44","permalink":{"id":165253,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":14910,"identifier":"9","token":"18.2\/4\/9","url":"\/18.2\/4\/9\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13100,"edition_id":1,"name":"Crimes Against the Person","identifier":"4","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12972,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:17","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:17","permalink":{"id":164763,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13100,"identifier":"4","token":"18.2\/4","url":"\/18.2\/4\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12972,"edition_id":1,"name":"Crimes and Offenses Generally","identifier":"18.2","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:05","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:05","permalink":{"id":164139,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12972,"identifier":"18.2","token":"18.2","url":"\/18.2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":56913,"structure_id":14910,"section_number":"18.2-71","catch_line":"Producing abortion or miscarriage, etc.; penalty","url":"\/18.2-71\/","token":"18.2\/4\/9\/18.2-71","metadata":false},{"id":58717,"structure_id":14910,"section_number":"18.2-71.1","catch_line":"Partial birth infanticide; penalty","url":"\/18.2-71.1\/","token":"18.2\/4\/9\/18.2-71.1","metadata":false},{"id":76148,"structure_id":14910,"section_number":"18.2-72","catch_line":"When abortion lawful during first trimester of pregnancy","url":"\/18.2-72\/","token":"18.2\/4\/9\/18.2-72","metadata":false},{"id":67072,"structure_id":14910,"section_number":"18.2-73","catch_line":"When abortion lawful during second trimester of pregnancy","url":"\/18.2-73\/","token":"18.2\/4\/9\/18.2-73","metadata":false},{"id":72692,"structure_id":14910,"section_number":"18.2-74","catch_line":"When abortion or termination of pregnancy lawful after second trimester of pregnancy","url":"\/18.2-74\/","token":"18.2\/4\/9\/18.2-74","metadata":false},{"id":65658,"structure_id":14910,"section_number":"18.2-74.1","catch_line":"Abortion, etc., when necessary to save life of woman","url":"\/18.2-74.1\/","token":"18.2\/4\/9\/18.2-74.1","metadata":false},{"id":80458,"structure_id":14910,"section_number":"18.2-74.2","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/18.2-74.2\/","token":"18.2\/4\/9\/18.2-74.2","metadata":false},{"id":62829,"structure_id":14910,"section_number":"18.2-75","catch_line":"Conscience clause","url":"\/18.2-75\/","token":"18.2\/4\/9\/18.2-75","metadata":false},{"id":68933,"structure_id":14910,"section_number":"18.2-76","catch_line":"Informed written consent required","url":"\/18.2-76\/","token":"18.2\/4\/9\/18.2-76","metadata":false},{"id":75676,"structure_id":14910,"section_number":"18.2-76.1","catch_line":"Encouraging or promoting abortion","url":"\/18.2-76.1\/","token":"18.2\/4\/9\/18.2-76.1","metadata":false},{"id":66474,"structure_id":14910,"section_number":"18.2-76.2","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/18.2-76.2\/","token":"18.2\/4\/9\/18.2-76.2","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":58717,"structure_id":14910,"section_number":"18.2-71.1","catch_line":"Partial birth infanticide; penalty","url":"\/18.2-71.1\/","token":"18.2\/4\/9\/18.2-71.1","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":67072,"structure_id":14910,"section_number":"18.2-73","catch_line":"When abortion lawful during second trimester of pregnancy","url":"\/18.2-73\/","token":"18.2\/4\/9\/18.2-73","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/18.2-72\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 1975. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapters 14 and 15 of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. Unfortunately, the 1975 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online. It has been modified 2 times. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 2020, chapters 898<\/a> and 899<\/a>; in 2023, chapter 183<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":71312,"section_number":"16.1-241","catch_line":"Jurisdiction; consent for abortion","order_by":null,"url":"\/16.1-241\/"},{"id":67072,"section_number":"18.2-73","catch_line":"When abortion lawful during second trimester of pregnancy","order_by":null,"url":"\/18.2-73\/"},{"id":72692,"section_number":"18.2-74","catch_line":"When abortion or termination of pregnancy lawful after second trimester of pregnancy","order_by":null,"url":"\/18.2-74\/"},{"id":62829,"section_number":"18.2-75","catch_line":"Conscience clause","order_by":null,"url":"\/18.2-75\/"},{"id":68933,"section_number":"18.2-76","catch_line":"Informed written consent required","order_by":null,"url":"\/18.2-76\/"}],"refers_to":[{"id":56913,"section_number":"18.2-71","catch_line":"Producing abortion or miscarriage, etc.; penalty","order_by":null,"url":"\/18.2-71\/"}],"permalink":{"id":165263,"object_type":"law","relational_id":76148,"identifier":"18.2-72","token":"18.2\/4\/9\/18.2-72","url":"\/18.2-72\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/18.2-72\/","token":"18.2\/4\/9\/18.2-72","dublin_core":{"Title":"When abortion lawful during first trimester of pregnancy","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 18.2-72","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

Notwithstanding any of the provisions of \u00a7 18.2-71<\/a>, it shall be lawful for (i) any physician licensed by the Board of Medicine to practice medicine and surgery or (ii) any person jointly licensed by the Boards of Medicine and Nursing as an advanced practice registered nurse and acting within such person’s scope of practice to terminate or attempt to terminate a human pregnancy or aid or assist in the termination of a human pregnancy by performing an abortion or causing a miscarriage on any woman during the first trimester of pregnancy.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nWHEN ABORTION LAWFUL DURING FIRST TRIMESTER OF PREGNANCY (\u00a7 18.2-72)\n\nNotwithstanding any of the provisions of \u00a7 18.2-71, it shall be lawful for (i)\nany physician licensed by the Board of Medicine to practice medicine and surgery\nor (ii) any person jointly licensed by the Boards of Medicine and Nursing as an\nadvanced practice registered nurse and acting within such person’s scope\nof practice to terminate or attempt to terminate a human pregnancy or aid or\nassist in the termination of a human pregnancy by performing an abortion or\ncausing a miscarriage on any woman during the first trimester of pregnancy.\n\nHISTORY: 1975, cc. 14, 15; 2020, cc. 898, 899; 2023, c. 183.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}