The Democrat-led Virginia Senate has voted to enshrine the right to an abortion and to vote in the state's constitution.

The votes followed an emotional floor debate on abortion — and an unusual parliamentary tussle over whether the Democratic leader had violated the chamber’s decorum,

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.

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 .

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.

Republicans are ramping up opposition to Democrat-led efforts to protect abortion and contraception access, claiming the proposals undermine parental rights in minors’ healthcare decisions. As these measures advance in the legislature,

Several constitutional amendments are steadily advancing in the General Assembly. The most controversial one, which guarantees abortion rights, was debated in the Senate Monday.