On Friday, September 14, the Virginia State Board of Health will reconvene in Richmond to vote once again on the proposed permanent abortion center safety standards to replace the current interim regulations. Will you clear your calendar to be present and invite your pro-life friends to this crucial meeting? The implications of non-mobilization are drastic. Can I be so bold as to ask that if you have prior plans to reschedule them so that you can be in attendance? We need to mobilize hundreds of pro-life Virginians at this meeting to show the Board of Health, the media, elected officials, and the electorate that we are pro-life, we are passionate, and we are the majority.
Once the Board of Health adopts the regulations Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli again will review them for “certification,” ensuring that they line up with constitutional and Virginia Code requirements. You may remember the craziness that ensued at the June Board meeting and the changes the Board made to the regulations, for which they have no authority. That action necessitated this additional meeting.
Pro-abortion activists see this as their final shot at preventing commonsense safety standards from being implemented at abortion centers and they are doing everything they can to derail the regulations. One pro-abortion organization has even gone so far as to call for the recusal of one of the Board members, stating that “his religious and personal views should not affect the women of Virginia and their access to healthcare.” This is the pro-abortion movement’s unabashed attempt to silence those who dare exercise their faith in the public square.
Planned Parenthood, NARAL, and other pro-abortion groups have told their members to show up at the Board of Health meeting at 7:30 a.m. in order to guarantee themselves a seat in the “seating-is-limited” board room and to block pro-life attendees from equal participation. Pro-abortion activists are hoping for a repeat of the last board meeting at which their angry outbursts, hissing and booing disrupted the meeting (see picture below) and temporarily prevented the abortion center safety regulations from passing. We will not let this happen again!
We must show the Board of Health that we are pro-life and we are the majority. Please, add Friday, September 14 to your calendar and forward this e-mail to your pro-life friends. Plan to arrive at the Perimeter Center (9960 Mayland Drive, Richmond, Va., 23233) at 7:30 a.m. to prevent pro-abortion activists from filling the room and silencing your voice. We encourage you to bring a handmade sign showing your support for life. The meeting is scheduled to adjourn at 3:00 p.m., so depending on when the vote is held, this may become a day-long event. Please contact us if you have additional questions (804-343-0010 or vafamily@familyfoundation.org).
Thank you in advance for your attendance and for your willingness to stand in support of life. Together, we look forward to the coming day when Virginia will have permanent health and safety standards for the abortion industry for the first time in more than two decades. We are confident that those regulations will be the strongest possible.
[...] This message to Family Foundation supporters is meant to rally anti-choicers across the Commonwealth to counter-protest at the Board of Health meeting on September 14th in Richmond, Virginia. At the last meeting, pro-choice activists showed up en masse and our presence reminded the Board that politics have no place in healthcare. As a result, they added a grandfather clause protecting existing abortion providers from closure due to the proposed (medically unnecessary) structural requirements. [...]
[...] In June, the room couldn’t fit a third of the pro-choice supporters! We are also expecting a counter-protest by The Family Foundation, a Christian anti-choice organization based in Richmond. Please RSVP and [...]
Victoria Cobb, thank you for exposing your dishonesty! These “safety regulations” are a pro-life strategy for reducing access to abortion, like anyone with a brain knew all along! They weren’t “commonsense” regulations to address safety concerns, since your goal was never to make abortions safe — just illegal or impossible to get. Kudos for finally confirming in writing your hypocrisy on this issue. One point for honesty.
Sooo, you all do realize this is a cheap shot at pretending this has anything to do with the safety of women’s health? Building code requirements are what will shut down clinics across the state has nothing to do with safety. Janitor closets, hallway widths, and parking lot sizes…really? Medically speaking, clinics overwhelmingly are safe. Read the reports from the Department of Health. It’s funny how the lies are spread on behalf of evangelical prayer. I thought that lying to people was a sin? This isn’t 1870 ya’ll.
You know what else I think is funny–how the “family foundation” tries so hard to preserve life in the womb, but as soon as a child comes out of its mother’s vagina, ya’ll couldn’t care less if he/she dies from starvation, lack of medical care, or because of poor parenting skills due to lack of education. Why don’t you try instituting helpful sex education programs instead of standing outside clinics AFTER women get pregnant. At least then you won’t have to lie to God and pretend you made a difference; you could have ACTUALLY made a difference.
Do you think getting an abortion is something any women WANTS to do? Tell me what’s worse, having an abortion in the first trimester, or being personally responsible for the death or illness of your child because you didn’t have the means to raise them properly. And heaven forbid you try to get government assistance! I believe your side of the issue consistently tries to take that away from women of low income as well. Ha, “family foundation” my butt!
I Want to attend. What time?
Thomas: Thank you for your reply and interest. We are telling people to arrive by 7:30 a.m. The address and other information are in the post above. – Steve, The Admin
My husband and I and our 6 month old son can’t stay in the meeting for the whole day, but we could be outside a little before 9 to show Pro-Life support as the boardmembers enter the building–would that be helpful?
Cristy: Sorry I didn’t see this last night. Any time you can put in at an event like this in any way is always helpful. So, hopefully, you were able to attend, even for a little while. If not, remember for the future that every bit helps. Thank you for your willingness! Hopefully, you’ve heard by now we had a great turnout and the Board of Health voted 13-2 for the tougher safety standards. – Steve, The Admin