Last Monday, July 22nd at Richmond City Hall, the full City Council voted unanimously to sell a neglected school building on the edge of the city for $10 to the national abortion promoter and business Planned Parenthood.
The meeting was marked by sixty citizens who came to oppose the proposal and offered testimony, followed by the rapid vote that took less than 15 seconds! The entire proposal seems to have been a done deal well before the planning commission meeting last week or the final full council vote this week.
Last year, the Richmond City Council voted on a resolution to encourage the development of new abortion facilities within the city limits in the wake of the Dobbs decision. The resolution called for the Virginia General Assembly to protect and expand abortion access in the state, and Mayor Levar Stoney and the city’s human services department extended their support to Virginia League for Planned Parenthood, which worked with the city to identify the Chamberlayne site as a suitable location for a new clinic.
In less than one week, with very little opportunity for public comment or public bids on the property, the entire action was completed. Mayor Stoney’s office issued a release applauding the approval. “I am proud the City Council unanimously voted to approve this land transfer. Richmond is leading the way in the South for protecting reproductive rights and increasing access to health care,” said Stoney. (Stoney is running for the 2025 Democratic nomination for Lieutenant Governor.)
ACTION ALERT: Complain to the city council by going here.
It was also evident to those in attendance that the goal of the Council is to invite business from out of state. In 2016, only 6% of Planned Parenthood’s Virginia clients came from out of state, a percentage that had remained roughly the same since 1980. Virginia League of Planned Parenthood communications director Rae Pickett stated that they have seen a 30% rise in out of state visits and an 85% increase in abortions since 2020.
If Planned Parenthood does build on this location, it will mean that there will be six abortion facilities inside the city lines and one more just outside in Henrico County. All three facilities add to the reputation that Virginia is becoming known as the abortion capital of the south.
One must ask how many such facilities will be enough for the Mayor and the Council? Does Virginia really want to be known as the place that will do an abortion on anyone from anywhere at any time during pregnancy?
VSHL worked hard to quickly reach members and the Richmond public about the hearing. It was good to see that so many attended on such short notice; thank you!
Comments included those of Mrs. Barbara Constable, who challenged the notion that abortion is health care and reminded the council members that women are at risk of serious risks and side effects after an abortion.
Mrs. Nina Newton from Mary’s Choice RVA, which provides shelter to homeless moms and their babies before and after birth, asked why the city wasn’t using the location to expand childcare for working moms or offering education to mothers seeking to advance their skills when a baby comes into their life?
Mrs. Felicia Taggart, a resident of the site area and an African American woman, shared her concern that the new abortion facility will be in a neighborhood near school-age children and among a predominately black population.
The citizens present raised concerns about the why the local residents were not informed about this plan until this past week and about the financial loss to the city, as well as concerns about creating a dubious location for abortions in an already marginalized community.
VSHL would like to know why our cities are aligning themselves with the abortion industry. When will Richmond officials turn their support to the pregnancy resource centers that struggle to make ends meet yet are providing free support to mothers and babies every day?! These programs offer shelter, medical care, legal information, clothing for both mother and child, opportunities to complete an education, the chance to see the value of their own lives and that of their babies! As this is written, the city of Richmond has never offered to support the work done by these actual non-profit organizations.
Richmond is not alone in supporting new abortion businesses. Since the Dobbs decision other Virginia cities have passed similar proposals, including Alexandria and Roanoke. New abortion facilities are springing up around the Commonwealth and this is a trend that may well continue. Since 2023 four new facilities have opened or been approved. Pop-up organizations are being set up along the borders of Virginia with the sole purpose of raising money to pay for the abortions of out-of-state women who come here.
This Planned Parenthood proposal means that they can now raise the money needed to build a new multi-million-dollar facility that will distribute chemical abortion drugs as well as perform surgical abortions. VSHL has no doubt that the funds will be found from their national organization soon. Although some in the city are looking into other steps that may be taken to stop the plan, it remains to be seen if those ideas can succeed in this climate.
Perhaps the most alarming factor of the City’s plan is the harsh reality that the city of Richmond is currently in the path of dangerous and unsavory traffickers who use the U.S. 95 corridor as a primary route. Has the city considered that? Are they comfortable being used by individuals trying to hide their crimes? The new site is particularly easy to access from 95.
Does the Mayor worry about that at all or are he and the members of the Council too much in Planned Parenthood’s corner? Does anyone really care about the women at risk? It’s clear they don’t care about the babies.
It is vitally important that residents of Richmond continue to alert their neighbors. We invite you to take action by writing letters to the Richmond Times Dispatch, commenting on news coverage online, and send your message to the RVA Council members. We must make it clear that what the Council has done will not be forgotten at election time.
The lesson for all of us is that elections, every election for every office matters!
LifeNews Note: Olivia Gans Turner is the president of Virginia Society for Human Life
ACTION ALERT: Complain to the city council by going here.
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