The Virginia House of Delegates passed resolutions on Tuesday enshrining rights to abortion, voting and marriage equality in a critical step for Democrats hoping to amend the state's constitution next year.

Virginia Democrats are hoping to pass a bill to make abortion more accessible in the third trimester under specific situations.

Members of the General Assembly are moving forward with three constitutional amendments proposed by Democrats.But they rejected an amendment supported by Republicans.

The Virginia House of Delegates passed three state constitutional amendments Tuesday that would enshrine in state law reproductive rights, same-sex marriage and automatic restoration of voting

There were tears, yells and a call of “out of order” but by the end of the day Virginia’s Senate on Tuesday passed three resolutions aimed at enshrining certain civil rights into the state’s constitution.

RICHMOND, Va. (CN) — The Virginia Senate voted Tuesday to advance a trio of constitutional amendments to guarantee Virginians' right to abortion care, automatically restore voting rights to disenfranchised felons and remove an antiquated law banning same-sex marriage .

It’s not easy to amend Virginia’s constitution, but Democrats in the House of Delegates took the first step to amend it three times Tuesday.

The Virginia House of Delegates has passed resolutions to protect abortion, voting rights, and marriage equality, paving the way for constitutional amendments.

The Virginia Senate passed an abortion constitutional amendment on a party line 21-19 vote. Stafford Senator Tara Durant criticized Democrats for refusing to add language that would require parental consent for minors. A constitutional amendment must pass two sessions of the General Assembly before going to the voters.

The state Senate also backed proposed amendments to repeal the ban on same-sex marriage in the state constitution and to automatically restore voting rights to felons who served their terms.

A new president and state legislative sessions ramping up are likely to bring more changes to abortion policy across the U.S., which is still settling after the seismic shift in 2022 when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and opened the door to state bans.