SOUND THE ALARM: John Reid Compared Abortion to Slavery

In case you missed it, Republican nominee for Virginia lieutenant governor John Reid was caught on tape comparing abortion to slavery and the slave trade during his Richmond talk radio show. Reid, who has spent years peddling anti-abortion lies and extremist rhetoric, went so far as to claim that Virginia accepting patients traveling for abortion care was like Richmond being a stop on the slave trade. 

Voters are ready to reject this dangerous extremism. Reid’s opponent, state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, is a proven leader who has spent her career solving problems for Virginia families. While Reid traffics in offensive comparisons and falsehoods about abortion, Hashmi is focused on lowering costs, fully funding schools, and protecting reproductive freedom for all Virginians.

Read the full article here.

On talk show, John Reid said patients coming to Virginia for abortions is like slave trade
Virginia Independent
By Josh Israel, 9/18/25

Prior to becoming the Republican nominee for Virginia lieutenant governor, John Reid spent eight years as host of a Richmond talk radio show. During that time, he repeatedly took anti-abortion positions on the air.

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A Virginia Independent review of audio recordings found a variety of statements Reid had made on the subject of abortion on his WRVA program “Richmond’s Morning News”:

Nov. 1, 2024, comparing abortion to slavery and repeating the lie that abortions are performed up to and including the day of birth: “I think we should be debating abortion because I think it’s pretty horrible, especially with the Democrats saying, Oh, it’s no problem killing a baby on the day it’s going to be born. Does anybody pause about it? I think that’s not a great place for us to be as a society. Everybody who acts horrified by how terrible slavery was — and I concur. Slavery is pretty bad. But is it? What do you think of killing a baby on the day it’s supposed to be born by ripping it apart in the womb? Is that not disturbing to you or it just doesn’t matter or, oh, it’s the mother’s choice.” 

July 26, 2024, comparing out-of-state patients seeking abortions in Virginia to the slave trade: “Richmond is so ashamed of having been a major center in the slave trade a hundred years ago, 200 years ago, 300 years ago, and that’s a real source of contemporary consternation today. I don’t know why you would choose to become a stop on the abortion trail these days, voluntarily.”

Nov. 21, 2023, discussing Democratic victories in the 2023 election: “It’s weird to me that the average voter seemed to prioritize abortion over their economic survival, their physical survival of their family. I mean, I guess a few more people getting shot in the parking lot of the Whole Foods grocery, maybe they’ll wake up at some point. But, you know, I mean, you have to decide what’s important to you.”

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In an emailed statement, Hashmi told the Virginia Independent: “While John Reid spends his days spewing hate-filled rhetoric and extremist lies all across the commonwealth, I am focused on solving problems for working families and improving the lives of all Virginians. As a mom, educator, and as Virginia’s next lieutenant governor, I will continue my work to tackle the most pressing issues facing our state — including prioritizing fully funding public education, ensuring that all people have access to the safe and legal health care they need and deserve, and lowering costs to make life more affordable for working families.”

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EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, works to elect Democratic pro-choice women up and down the ballot and across the country with a goal of fighting for our rights and our communities. Over 40 years, EMILYs List has raised nearly $950 million to help Democratic women win competitive elections by recruiting and training candidates, supporting and helping build strong campaigns, researching the issues that impact women and families, running one of the most impactful independent expenditure operations for Democrats, and turning out women voters to the polls. Since our founding in 1985, we have helped elect the country’s first woman as vice president, 192 women to the House, 29 to the Senate, 20 governors, and over 1,600 women to state and local office. More than 40% of the candidates EMILYs List has helped elect to Congress have been women of color. Visit www.emilyslist.org for more information.