Within the past few days, I’ve encountered a number of these opportunities.

In an interview with a clearly biased reporter, which she indicated would be about abortion center safety standards, I was asked to respond to the 18 percent drop in the abortion rate over the last five years. Without more specific information, I respond that many common sense abortion laws had been passed in addition to the great work done in the area of foster care and adoption. But this response doesn’t match the reporter’s narrative. The official narrative, her narrative, was that any drop in abortion must relate to contraception.

Basic knowledge of biology says that only a drop in the pregnancy rate, not the abortion rate, can be directly attributed to contraception. For simplicity sake, consider this example: Let’s say 1,000 women got pregnant in 2007 and 25 women chose abortion, but in 2011, 1,000 women got pregnant and only 20 women chose abortion. In this example, the number of conceptions has not changed (still 1,000) and thus tying the decrease in abortion (25 to 20) to contraception is illogical. Rather, it means that five women made alternate choices from abortion regarding their pregnancies.

With this in mind, I found it interesting when the reporter next began to challenge me on contraception but never told me anything about the pregnancy rate or even the “unintended” pregnancy rate during the five year period.

What is known is that even the Guttmacher Institute, the research arm of the abortion industry, acknowledges:

In six [countries] — Cuba, Denmark, Netherlands, the United States, Singapore and the Republic of Korea — levels of abortion and contraceptive use rose simultaneously.

To get a more accurate picture of what is actually happening in Virginia, one would need the birth rate, abortion rate and the number of children given up for adoption over time. Without that, both sides of this debate can guess at a reporter’s questions and the reporter can angle her story in whatever direction she chooses.

A second opportunity to be a voice of reason took place when I was asked to respond to a Washington Post poll of Virginia voters and their views on various social issues. Prior to the interview, I requested to see the poll. The response from the reporter was “I’m afraid we don’t normally share the poll.” Seriously? I’m supposed to listen to the reporter’s summation of the results and draw conclusions based on her conclusions? Yes, that’s their hope because the assumption is that like dumb sheep, the right can be led into a ditch. The reporter was obviously dismayed that I challenged nearly all of the poll’s assumptions.

As an example of the problem opining without data causes, the reporter asked me if the Republican Party ought to change its position to attract more voters as a result of the alleged shift on same-sex marriage. This question required me to presume the rest of her poll that I had not seen. I mentioned that if this poll matched any other poll on this matter, then the reporter would know that minorities support traditional marriage. She seemed surprised that I would draw this distinction but fully acknowledged that my point was well taken, was supported by the details of the poll and that changing a position on same-sex marriage wasn’t going to attract the minorities the Republican Party is desperate to reach. (Oh, and shockingly, no questions about the Kermit Gosnell trial or the nearly 300 health and safety violations in Virginia’s abortion centers. Then again, why ask about what you refuse to report?)

This interview leads me to the final difficulty of trying to present reason in a world where narratives are predetermined. Two days ago, I received a call at home from Quinnipiac asking me to take a political survey. I readily agreed but discovered just what I feared. When asked my top issue for determining how I vote, I was given approximately 10 choices, none of which were values issues. Similarly, I was asked about the Star Scientific situation regarding both Governor Bob McDonnell and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli but was never asked about Terry McAuliffe’s false claims regarding green technology and jobs. Zero questions about the abysmal conditions found in Virginia’s abortion centers. Even funnier, I was asked if I consider myself “Born Again,” “Evangelical” or “None of the above.” I’d love to meet someone who is “Evangelical” but not “Born Again.” When the questions are this biased and misinformed, it’s hard, if not impossible, for a polling company to get a clear sense of the electorate.

But then again, if the purpose of the poll is to reinforce a predetermined narrative, the pollsters, nor the media, are interested in the sense of the electorate. They are trying to steer the electorate. Which is one reason why, despite not knowing all the details, I do these interviews. If there isn’t a voice of reason included in the story, the media wins without a fight.

But this lack of objectivity should come as no surprise.

The horror of what happened inside Kermit Gosnell’s abortion center is almost indescribable. Testimony from those who witnessed the brutality and evil is heartbreaking.  This week, two of Gosnell’s staffers described some of the horror that took place. Sherry West, who worked with Gosnell for several years, told a Philadelphia courtroom about a screaming baby that had been born in the clinic and then murdered.  In tears, West said the tortured cries of the child “really freaked me out… I can’t describe it.”  She says that she called the aborted babies “specimens” because “it was easier to deal with mentally.”

Steven Massof, who was also hired by Gosnell despite his lack of medical training, sent shivers down people’s spines when he described the busy times: “It would rain fetuses.  Fetuses and blood all over the place. I felt like a fireman in hell. I couldn’t put out all the fires.”

Imagine that.  Little babies born alive in abortion centers?  According to Massof, it’s more common than you might want to believe or the industry would ever say.  He estimated that at least 100 babies were born alive in this single clinic who had their necks snipped in what he described as “literally a beheading.” “These killings became so routine,” an employee admitted, “that no one could put an exact number on them. They were considered ‘standard procedure.’”

But none of that is relevant to Virginia’s abortion centers right?  Couldn’t happen here.  Abortion industry in Virginia?  Perfect.

Also recently, three Maryland abortion centers had their licenses revoked by public health officials in that state because of multiple health and safety violations.  Considering that Maryland has incredibly lax standards, one can only imagine what those “health centers” as the abortion industry now calls them (with the media happily parroting) looked like that would cause even that state to step in.

Oh, that’s not relevant to Virginia either.  Another state after all.

Well, this one hits a little closer to home since the owner of the three Maryland centers was none other than Steven Brigham, the notorious abortion center operator who has two such facilities here in Virginia, one in Virginia Beach and one in Fairfax.  Is it that hard to believe that an abortion center operator with that kind of track record might operate unhealthy facilities right here in the Old Dominion?  Apparently to the media it is, since they refuse to report about Brigham and his history of endangering women.

And it’s not just Brigham.  Another owner of a Virginia abortion center, Diane Derzis of Richmond’s A Capital Women’s Health Clinic, has had other facilities closed in at least two other states, Alabama and Mississippi, because of a failure to meet basic health and safety standards.  So bad were conditions in one that the abortion doctor she employed actually sued her over the failure to care for patients!

And just yesterday we learned that two nurses that staffed Planned Parenthood abortion centers in Delaware quit, citing “ridiculously unsafe” and unsanitized conditions and “assembly line” abortions.

Pennsylvania.  Delaware.  Maryland.  Alabama.  Mississippi.

Virginia?

The fact that the Virginia news media has chosen to ignore these stories and has intentionally buried the truth of inspection reports of Virginia abortion centers is all the evidence you need to know that they will stop at nothing to defend and protect the abortion industry.  I laughed out loud yesterday at a Planned Parenthood email that spoke of abortion protestors helping “shape the narrative” of the fight over abortion center safety standards in Virginia.  Help shape the narrative?  Seriously, the media stories covering the issues so far could have been written by Planned Parenthood.  The narrative has been decided already, and the facts are not going to get in the way.

I urge you to not allow the media to be your source for information on this topic.  We must be diligent in sharing the facts of what is happening in abortion centers around the nation with our friends and neighbors so they aren’t fooled by the abortion industry’s lies either.

Of course, that argument is always aimed at those of us who share Godly principles.  It’s never applied both ways, as we saw time and again during this year’s General Assembly.  Case in point is the ongoing debate over same-sex marriage and special protects for sexual behaviors in our state’s hiring laws.  Opponents of natural marriage argued when seeking to repeal Virginia’s marriage amendment that having the natural definition of marriage in our Constitution is “bad for business” and prevents business types from moving here.  They made the same argument about adding “sexual orientation” to the state’s non-discrimination law, and that not passing the law would make Virginia unattractive to new business and intellectual capital.

All of which makes for good media sound bites, but as usual, flies in the face of the facts.

Analysis of several economic factors in states with and without marriage amendments shows that states that recognize natural marriage are doing better economically than those that have chosen to redefine marriage.  The report by the National Organization for Marriage shows that states like Virginia continue to outperform states that have redefined marriage in employment, job growth, business climate rankings and more.  Conversely, states with same-sex marriage make up 30 percent of the states with the highest rates of unemployment.  The report says, “States with marriage amendments make up sixty percent of the total number of states. They make up ninety percent of the top states in overall job growth, eighty percent of the top states in four categories (CEO grading, domestic migration, public employment, and personal income growth), seventy percent in middle-class job growth, and are proportionately represented in four categories (GDP growth, low unemployment, tax burden, enterprising states).”

Of course, states with marriage amendments tend to be more conservative economically as well, meaning they have better tax and regulatory climates than those states that lean liberal socially and economically.

Beyond that, natural marriage provides more buying power for families, something that is good for business, at least until that buying power is shattered by burdensome taxes!  Businesses with a desire for growth are going to go where they can keep more of their profits for growth and expansion and where there are people with the capacity to spend money.  It isn’t rocket science, its basic economics.

We’re trying to clean-up the abortion industry after we discovered that abortion centers were filthy and incapable to deal with women who had emergencies. Inspectors found blood on tables, unsterilized equipment, old medicine and staff who were unable to identify equipment on the emergency crash cart! Many rooms didn’t even have doorways that were big enough to allow stretchers to go through them.

You would think pro-abortionists would unite with us on this issue, but they’re fighting us with everything they’ve got. They want to keep their abortion centers out of the sights of health inspectors and the law.

Here’s their strategy:

Pro-abortionists are intimidating policy makers to change pro-life laws and laws that protect women by protesting and taking over policy-makers”meetings. You saw them in the video I posted yesterday. It shows pro-abortionists carrying signs, chanting and screaming vulgarities at policy-makers, and even flooding the small meeting room with “angry” protesters.

Make no mistake, their strategy has an impact:

At one Board of Health meeting, there were only a few pro-lifers present. The safety standards that the legislature passed to clean up abortion centers were nearly gutted because of the aggressiveness of the protesters!

But I know how to stop it while protecting our laws and values: pro-lifers need to show up and counter their presence with prayerful truth and light.

At the second Board of Health meeting, The Family Foundation brought a large crowd of pro-lifers with us. When the Board of Health voted on the safety standards, we won! We protected the law for cleaner and safer health care for women!

Now we must do this again as the Board of Health has yet a third meeting on these important new rules that protect women. This meeting is designed to obtain public comments on the safety standards and we must be represented. We can’t afford to be silent or else a small, but vocal, pro-abortion group will drown out our voice and tear down our pro-life laws through theatrics!

Will you commit to showing up and expanding our presence on March 7 at 1:00 p.m. at the Virginia Department of Health in Henrico? Or, will you commit to attending the other meeting for public comments on March 12 at 1:00 p.m. at the John Marshall Public Library in Alexandria. You can find directions and times by clicking and following this link.

Please commit to be with me right now, even if it’s the first time you’ve ever attended a pro-life rally. And bring your church, family and friends with you! We come too far and waited too long to get these long overdue standards in place, and have too much to lose if we don’t show up.

Please visit our FAQ to learn more. It will answer many of the questions you might have, including directions and times.

Then, please contact Roger Pogge (roger@familyfoundation.org) to tell him that you’ve committed to being there. He is coordinating our presence and can answer any questions you might have, especially if you’ve never attended a pro-life rally or state agency board hearing.

I look forward to meeting you as we march to protect clean health care for women!

Above: Pro-life supporters express the consistency that is at the heart of the Culture of Life at last summer’s Board of Health meeting. Above, right: Insight into the secular mind: humans over God. Click either image for more information about the upcoming Board of Health public comment hearings.   

Click here to fight back and learn how to attend the March 7th and March 12th Board of Health meetings with us.

When reports came back to me that showed abortion centers were filthy and incapable to deal with women who had emergencies, I wasn’t surprised.

Inspectors found blood on tables, unsterilized equipment, old medicine and staff who were unable to identify equipment on the emergency crash cart!

Many rooms didn’t even have doorways that were big enough to allow stretchers to go through them.

Vulnerable women who had abortions and had complications were victimized once again by the abortion industry and were left alone to suffer. This isn’t a problem just in Virginia. Just the other day, a woman died after having an abortion who could have been saved if the right equipment were made available and a staff had cared for her well-being.

The Family Foundation knew we had to step in and clean-up these centers through government regulation because we cannot depend on the abortion industry to clean-up itself.

But when we began regulations to protect women, the abortion industry fought us with everything they’ve got and I think you’ll want to see what happened with the video evidence that we have.

After you watch the video, please give me your thoughts!

Cuccinelli’s ongoing attacks on women’s health and economic security should be a warning to us all: women’s health will be on the Virginia ballot in 2013.

A website created by the coordinated campaign targets the Attorney General’s positions on abortion, forced taxpayer subsidizing of contraception, abortion-causing drugs and President Obama’s taxpayer-funded health insurance scheme. According to Politico, the website includes “a disclaimer at the bottom of the site [that] says it was authorized by the campaign of Terry McAuliffe.”

Of course, it should come as no surprise that Planned Parenthood would coordinate with a liberal Democrat campaign. Its political entities have spent tens of millions of dollars on partisan activities while whining consistently that it doesn’t have enough money to bring its abortion centers up to basic health and safety standards. It is, however, committed to forcing you, the taxpayer, to fund its operations to the tune of more than half a billion dollars annually!

I guess it’s all about priorities.

The partisan political activity of Planned Parenthood and its targeting of Virginia should come as no surprise. But it should serve as a reminder of just how important this year’s elections in Virginia are going to be. Because only Virginia has a potentially competitive statewide race, national interest groups are going to spend millions of dollars to influence the outcome.

It’s also notice to pro-life Virginians that we have to communicate with everyone that we know the truth about the Attorney General’s record, the truth about the fact that Virginia’s abortion centers are the real threat to women’s health and, speaking of threats to women, that the current federal administration’s debt-ridden agenda is a horrendous threat to women’s “economic security.”

We are not going to have the resources of a billion dollar industry such as Planned Parenthood and we certainly aren’t going to be able to rely on the “mainstream” media. But we will have the truth.

Already, committees and sub-committees have begun the hard work of sifting through hundreds of bills and initiatives.

Despite clamor from liberals and the media that the General Assembly not “waste time” on so-called “social issues,” Democrats in Richmond have introduced a wide variety of bills that fall into just that category. Intended to stir up more controversy and stir the media in Richmond into hysterics as last year, these bills nevertheless threaten the advancements we’ve made in recent years.

Already, several bills have been introduced that would repeal laws that require abortion center health and safety standards and last year’s update to our Commonwealth’s law that requires women seeking abortion to be given adequate, accurate information so they can make informed decisions. There also is legislation to repeal our long sought school choice law, along with multiple bills that are introduced on behalf of Equality Virginia, the Commonwealth’s largest homosexual rights group. So, when you hear anyone say that conservatives focus too much on social issues, you can report that our liberal friends in Richmond are out-doing themselves on that front this year.

As always, we are bringing forth an agenda to advance our shared values. Next week we will begin e-mailing, blogging, Facebook posting and tweeting “Action Alerts” on various bills. Please make sure you take the time to respond. Legislators must hear from pro-family, pro-life conservatives this year. Every day. Over and over. They are hearing from our opponents. We must match their intensity and persistence. We cannot let the secular left roll back the advances we’ve worked so hard and so long to achieve.

Each year The Family Foundation represents you in the halls of the General Assembly. Our full time policy staff, including myself, our Vice President Chris Freund, and our policy analyst Jessica Cochrane, brings nearly 25 years of experience to the advocacy work we do. We’ve also brought in two additional lobbyists and a coordinator to make sure that your values are heard loud and clear.

I urge you to be praying specifically for our team over the next two months. Session is a spiritually and physically exhausting time. We need God’s grace, wisdom and discernment as we engage legislators, explain policies and urge grassroots involvement.

The following people have joined us for this session. I’m excited about the team we’ve put together and look forward to all that will be accomplished:

Steve Rossie

This will be Steve’s eighth legislative session with us as a lobbyist, but Steve also serves as our full-time blogger and social media coordinator. Steve brings a wealth of experience and expertise in government relations, communications and public relations. Steve has in-depth understanding of the nuances of the General Assembly and relationships with dozens of legislators.

Bruce Kemp

A one-time legislative assistant to then-Senator Ken Cuccinelli, Bruce brings experience from inside the General Assembly as well as a wealth of policy experience. The former executive director of the Pregnancy Resource Center Metro Richmond, Bruce has vast experience in the pro-life field.

Tim Pogge

Tim recently served as a field representative in The Family Foundation’s Winning Matters ’12 campaign where he covered the Peninsula area. Tim is a graduate of Christopher Newport University and has been doing grassroots campaign work for many years (you may recognize his last name!). He will serve as our General Assembly coordinator, responsible for internal logistics and communications for the GA staff.

We also have several interns and pages assisting us this year. And so it begins . . . a long, hard, relentless 46-day sprint that will take us up and down many twisting roads. But with your help and God’s guidance, we will navigate them with great success.

Current Virginia non-discrimination laws mirror federal law for a variety of reasons, including court precedent. In Virginia, evidence that discrimination against homosexuals is taking place in state government, or anywhere for that matter, is less than compelling. According to the Department of Human Resource Management, which tracks allegations of discrimination, from 1992 forward there were 24 registered complaints based on sexual orientation, amounting for fewer than 2 per year. Among these 24 complaints in an 18-year period, not all complaints can be assumed to be founded. In fact, from July 1, 2009 – March 9, 2010, only three complaints of sexual orientation discrimination were filed; and as of the March date, none had been deemed “founded.”

Even The Washington Post admits that . . .

thousands of homosexuals work in state government.

Testimony on this kind of legislation in past General Assembly sessions has essentially been about a “fear” of discrimination, a fear not based on actual incidents of discrimination. Sadly, much of that fear is fueled more by the scare tactic fundraising efforts of groups like Equality Virginia than it is by reality. Unfortunately, while Governor Bob McDonnell has made it expressly clear that discrimination in his administration will not be tolerated, and evidence of discrimination is non-existent, some homosexual state workers live in fear because of the rhetoric of homosexual rights groups. In fact, a few weeks ago, Equality Virginia sent out a fundraising e-mail alert focusing on our opposition to adding sexual orientation to “non-discrimination” laws.

Unfortunately, recent incidents across the nation have exposed the agenda of militant homosexual rights groups as being about far more than “equality” or “stronger families.” It is very clear, after viscous rhetorical attacks on businesses that simply adhere to a traditional view of family structure, the attempted public humiliation and job discrimination against people who simply sign petitions that support marriage amendments, or the attempt to force faith-based ministries that help families and children to abandon their beliefs about family structure, there is far more to the “non-discrimination” effort that meets the eye.

While theoretically, the General Assembly will attempt to avoid “social issues” at the bequest of political pundits and the media, it will be interesting to see if those same media types and pundits label the “non-discrimination” effort as “distracting” and “divisive” social issues that should be avoided. Regardless, we will stand up to the hateful rhetoric of the secular left and encourage the General Assembly to maintain our current law.

The cases stem from regulations passed in Baltimore and Montgomery County, that require PCCs to post signs and have personnel tell clients that they don’t perform abortions, among other things. Essentially, it is the government compelling people in their private conversations to say specific things, a blatant violation of first amendment freedoms, which is likely why the PCCs have won in every court case so far, including an earlier 2-1 ruling by a three-judge panel in the Fourth Circuit. Attorneys for the PCCs said this would be a first of its kind violation of free speech if it’s upheld in the courts.

But as we know in Virginia, the abortion industry’s visceral hatred for anything that competes with its bottom line or offers an alternative to abortion is met with harassment and hostility. You may recall the effort by the abortion industry to regulate PCCs in Virginia just two years ago; an effort based on an “investigative report” by NARAL that was so void of fact or academic rigor that, after two hours of testimony by PCC leaders and clients, the patron of the legislation that would have regulated PCCs, Dr. Ralph Northam, a Democrat senator from Norfolk now running for lieutenant governor, asked that the subcommittee to defeat his own bill! How anyone can take NARAL’s word on anything after that day is simply mind boggling.

But truth, facts and logic are no obstacle for the abortion industry. The mainstream media is so sympathetic to its cause that it can’t bring itself to report about the bloody exam tables at abortion centers but is more than happy to complain that PCCs don’t offer abortion. Consequently, these battles for life are bound to continue. In fact, PCCs are not health care facilities at all and don’t do medical procedures, but offer counseling and support services, and referrals to doctors and medical facilities.

The cases should be decided by the court in the next eight to 10 weeks. The cases were heard “en banc,” or by the full court, and those present didn’t see any clear indication from all the judges on which way the case will go.

After the hearing, we were thrilled to co-host a brief luncheon with Americans United for Life for several of the attorneys involved in the case and pro-life advocates. As always, we are so very grateful to AUL and the Alliance Defending Freedom for their advocacy on behalf of life, and all their great work. We are honored to have such Godly and capable partners in this work!

We are especially excited to announce that Ryan Bomberger will be one of our special speakers. Ryan’s mother was raped and she went through with the pregnancy. After his birth, he was adopted into a multi-racial family of 15. He is making a huge impact on the culture with his TooManyAborted.com billboard/web campaign. You will not want to miss hearing Ryan’s powerful testimony and the action steps he will spur you to take to stand for life.

 It’s a fact: Too many babies are aborted each year and the General Assembly needs to know a majority of Virginians agree. Click here or the image above to see a short video and register for the Virginia Stands for Life Gathering on January 9.

This gathering is in place of our normal Day at the Capitol. Given the import of the message needed to be delivered this year, all of our resources need to be put into January 9. In this vein, we hope you will plan to prioritize this day. We need a large gathering to show that those of us who value life from conception to natural death are still engaged and still passionate for our cause. After the election last month, many pundits and consultants are encouraging politicians to abandon their pro-life positions. We need to make it clear that is not an option.

The gathering will be at the Capitol Bell Tower at 10:00 a.m. We will finish with everything by around 11:30, but we encourage you to stay and visit the House or Senate gallery to watch the session and then stop by your legislators’ offices and let them know you were here for Virginia Stands for Life Day. If you are able to be here early, we will lead a prayer walk at 9:00, starting next to the Richmond Convention Center (corner of 5th and Broad Streets) and culminating at the Bell Tower at 10:00.

We have created a short video to explain the necessity of gathering in Richmond on January 9. Please take a couple of minutes to watch it and then click the link below the video to register for the event. I look forward to seeing you in Richmond!