Thank you to everyone that came out last night to speak against the proposed abortion facility in Fairfax City! Just to keep you all updated about it, as of last night’s meeting we were told by the Mayor that they (NOVA Women’s Health) had rescinded their application at this time. There were close to 40 folks there last night, all pro-life, to speak and many still did, including me. The city council graciously listened to all who wanted to speak. We must remain vigilant, as we expect the abortion facility to re-apply soon! Please like the Virginia Society for Human Life FB page for more updates!

First, it was a Hampton Roads abortion center that announced it was closing. Now this. Good news and good news. Momentum is on the pro-life side. But as Olivia wrote, we must stay vigilant and continue to make the case — legally, morally, logically and medically.

This year, Delegate Gilbert was the House patron for one of our most consequential legislative priorities, legislation that protects the freedom of association and freedom of religion rights of student groups on public college campuses. This followed his leadership last year on legislation that protects the rights of faith-based child placement agencies to operate according to their religious beliefs. Both bills protecting our liberty have become models for the rest of the nation. About receiving the award, Delegate Gilbert said:

I was surprised and honored to be named The Family Foundation’s Legislator of the Year. The Family Foundation and I have teamed up in the last few years to do some amazing work protecting religious liberty and traditional moral values, and together we have accomplished some great things for Virginia.

Delegate Gilbert’s solid pro-life, pro-family voting record is complemented only by his leadership in his caucus, in committee, and on the floor of the House, where he is more than willing to stand — no doubt much to the chagrin of some around him — to defend life, marriage and religious liberty, and to take on those legislators who seek to undermine our values and principles.

Delegate Todd Gilbert (L) receives The Family Foundation Legislator of the Year Award and congratulations from TFF Vice President for Policy and Communications Chris Freund.

Delegate Gilbert’s leadership has made him the target of the secular left, and in particular Equality Virginia. The state’s largest homosexual organization has targeted Delegate Gilbert because of his strong stance on religious liberty and his opposition to adding protection for sexual behavior to the state’s non-discrimination law. In an environment of hostility, where the very phrase “social issues” or “values issues” causes some of our elected officials to reflexively run for cover, the media hysteria over anything pro-life or pro-family, and the secular left’s endless rhetorical assault on conservative legislators — plus a clear cultural shift away from Godly principles and a too often silent church — few legislators are willing to lead like Delegate Gilbert.

It is always an honor to present an award to legislators of conviction who put principle before politics to advance our shared values. Congratulations to Delegate Gilbert for winning this year’s Legislator of the Year award. We look forward to continuing to work with him on protecting and advancing our values.

Sadly, just as the Pennsylvania trial of abortionist Kermit Gosnell, accused of killing a woman and several babies born after botched late-term abortions, is gaining the slightest bit of traction in the media, accusations of murder have surfaced in neighboring Maryland. It is alleged that on February 7 abortionist LeRoy Carhart, while performing a late-term abortion (33 weeks) in Montgomery County, killed 29-year-old Jennifer McKenna Morbelli of White Plains, N.Y. (See LifeNews.com.)

According to section 23a of the medical examiner’s report, the cause of death was “disseminated intravascular coagulation . . . due to or as a consequence of Amniotic Fluid Embolism following Medical Termination of Pregnancy.” What’s worse is that the condition is treatable if caught in time, but Carhart allegedly abandoned Mrs. Morbelli, which delayed her eventual emergency treatment at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, where she died. Abandoning a patient is a criminal offense. Complaints by Operation Rescue and a coalition of pro-life organizations have led to a preliminary investigation into the revocation of Carhart’s medical license by the Maryland Board of Physicians; and Operation Rescue filed a complaint against him to the Montgomery County State Attorney.

Unfortunately, Carhart is no beginner at this brutality. In 2005, Christin Gilbert died from complications of a Carahrt-performed late-term abortion. The Maryland Attorney General’s office previously announced that it was investigating Carhart’s abortion center, Germantown Reproductive Health Services, for illegal dumping. A a document filed in that investigation instructs women not to go to a hospital in the event of an emergency, but instead to “call and we will meet you at the clinic.” In addition, 17 members of the Maryland House of Delegates wrote a letter to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene asking it to close down Carhart’s abortion center.

Sadly, this all appears too familiar. These stories will only get more grotesque and sadder as more and more information finally gets out about the horrors of what goes on inside abortion centers.

Lon Chaney spooks a few people in the classic bad horror film Son of Dracula. In America’s abortion clinics, though, real butchery goes on, starting with Kermit Gosnell and LeRoy Carhart.

]]> http://familyfoundation.org/2013/04/son-of-gosnell-leroy-carhart/feed/ 4 http://familyfoundation.org/2013/04/stand-for-life-at-fridays-board-of-health-meeting/ http://familyfoundation.org/2013/04/stand-for-life-at-fridays-board-of-health-meeting/#comments Wed, 10 Apr 2013 16:35:46 +0000 admin http://familyfoundation.org/?p=17345 Join us this Friday at the Board of Health meeting in Richmond, where it will decide whether or not to adopt the abortion center safety standards made possible by legislation passed at the 2011 General Assembly and signed into law … Read more>

I truly believe that this amendment will save more lives than perhaps anything we’ve ever done.

The amendment’s passage was a tale more convoluted than the typical legislative labyrynth, complete with procedural moves unfamiliar to most, dramatic back room conversations and mistakes that turned into miracles. Suffice it to say, God was at work — mightily. He alone deserves the credit for this success. We’ll tell the complete and detailed insider story in a later post.

Regardless of how legislators may feel about Obamacare health insurance exchanges, the vote on this amendment was solely about the taxpayer funding of abortion. Many who voted for this amendment oppose the concept of exchanges overall. Please note when checking how your legislator voted, that a vote for this pro-life amendment cannot be considered a vote against health care freedom. Some type of exchange must be created, by law, so this was to make the best of a bad situation.

Although many deserve thanks for this important victory, we would like to specifically thank Governor McDonnell for introducing the amendment, Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling for ruling the amendment germane (click links for contact information), the 20 senators and 55 delegates who voted for the amendment (click links for names), national pro-life organizations for their assistance, such as the Susan B. Anthony List, and local pro-life groups — especially the Virginia Catholic Conference, the Virginia Society for Human Life, and the Virginia Assembly of Independent Baptists — for joining us in our advocacy on this amendment at Mr. Jefferson’s capitol yesterday.

Conscience and life were protected today. Please thank God first, but secondly those above who deserve our gratitude for their principled stand for life. The complete details and inside story tomorrow.

The amendment simply continues what has been state law for the proposed exchanges since 2011 when the General Assembly adopted a similar amendment. Because the state has chosen not to create a state exchange but instead force the federal government to do so, the amendment is necessary. Twenty states have already taken this step and more are considering it. Despite the rhetoric of the abortion industry, private insurers can continue to offer elective abortion plans outside the exchanges if they wish.

Now the General Assembly must accept Governor McDonnell’s amendment at tomorrow’s Reconvened Session (i.e, the “Veto Session”) where it considers amendments and vetoes by the governor. While we are confident that the House of Delegates will adopt the amendment, the 20-20 Senate is questionable.

So that is really where the battle lies. Over the last several days we have mobilized citizens across Virginia to contact their legislators — especially key senators — to make sure they know the citizens of Virginia want this amendment passed.

Please contact your delegate and senator and urge them to support Governor McDonnell’s amendment to HB 1900 and SB 921. If you are not sure who they are, click here to find out. Then, or if you already know who they are, click here to look up your delegate’s contact information and here to look up your senator’s contact information.

Then contact the following key senators and urge them to vote YES on this important amendment as well:

Senator Harry Blevins: 757-546-2435 district14@senate.virginia.gov

Senator John Watkins: 804-379-2063 district10@senate.virginia.gov

Senator Charles Colgan: 703-368-0300 district29@senate.virginia.gov

Senator Phil Puckett: 276-979-8181 district38@senate.virginia.gov

Senator Frank Wagner: 757-671-2250 district07@senate.virginia.gov

Click here to visit the Virginia Board of Health’s Online Townhall. It is easy and take little time to submit your comments.

Our friends at the Virginia Catholic Conference have more information here, including bullet points on the issue and a sample letter. 

It only takes a few minutes to compose and submit comments online. For those who could not make it to the public forums in Richmond and Alexandria earlier this month, this is the ideal method for making your voice heard. A few minutes of your time can make a difference in a generational switch in policy to benefit the unborn and the safety of women who make the unfortunate choice of having an abortion. The other side is mobilized and submitting comments. It is essential that pro-life Virginians make their voices heard as well in this convenient, yet very effective way.

After filing your comments, please consider attending the Board of Health meeting in Richmond on Friday, April 12, where it will vote on whether to adopt the current abortion center safety standards permanently. Pro-life Virginians must demonstrate strength in numbers, both online and in person. The meeting will be at the Virginia Department of Health 2nd Floor Conference Center, 9960 Mayland Drive in Richmond. It will begin at 9:00 a.m. Due to limited space inside the meeting room, those who wish to attend are highly encouraged to arrive by 7:00.

The safety standards, which improve upon the emergency temporary standards that have been in place for more than a year, will continue to protect Virginia women who use abortion centers. Health inspections of these facilities, a feature of the current  temporary standards, have uncovered hundreds of violations since they  have been in place — demonstrating that the commonwealth’s abortion industry cannot self-regulate itself. Permanent standards will ensure abortion centers’ accountability for deficiencies.

If you plan to attend the Board of Health meeting, please e-mail Roger Pogge at roger@familyfoundation.org or call (804) 343-oo10.

msnbc claims to “lean forward” but Ryan Bomberger knocked it back a peg last week.

With the great response we are getting, we are going to need a lot of volunteers to help us on that day. If you are passionate about standing up for those who cannot stand for themselves and want to know what you can do to help, please e-mail Marie at marie@familyfoundation.org. She will send you the details of what our various needs are. Thank you in advance for helping us with this effort.

We also are excited to announce that in addition to the 18 pro-family groups we listed as coalition partners in our last post, we have added numbers 19 and 20: The Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia and The American Family Association. We are very honored to have these great groups joining us in this effort and we look forward to working with all of our coalition partners to proudly and clearly remind our legislators and elected officials that we are pro-life and we are the majority!

The Family Foundation’s 2013 General Assembly team will begin session work Monday, January 7 and conclude Friday, February 22. Those desiring more information, or those interested in serving, should contact Jessica Cochrane by phone at 804-343-0010 or by e-mail at Jessica@familyfoundation.org.

Intern Program (College)

Interns assist staff in actively monitoring legislation, attending General Assembly committee meetings, research and writing, assisting with our Virginia Stands for Life prayer walk and rally, and helping with social media and video projects. Candidates for this position should be available at least two full days per week, but preferably more. The optimal candidate for this position would be organized and self-motivated, able to work without constant supervision, and have some skill in research and writing. Both credit and non-credit internships are welcome. Parking is provided and housing can be arranged if necessary.

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Pages are responsible for the efficient maintenance of information within The Family Foundation’s General Assembly Operations Room and information exchange between The Family Foundation and the members of the General Assembly. Pages assist Family Foundation legislative staff in the accomplishment of their daily tasks, delivery of information to the General Assembly building, and administrative responsibilities in the development department. Pages are encouraged to work at least two (half or full) days per week. The more days a page is in the office, the more he or she will learn and experience.