Big Wins for Life and Parental Rights
We are thanking God for key victories across Virginia last night resulting from the persistent courage of your voices—moms, dads and concerned citizens working alongside The Family Foundation—who relentlessly spoke up for life and parental rights in your own neighborhoods. The fruit of that work included:
Safe Zone for Life: Washington County became the latest of several Virginia communities continuing the trend of boldly saying ‘no’ to exploitation at the hands of abortion operators looking to protect their profits. Rural communities in Southwestern Virginia have found themselves in the crossfire as abortion centers from surrounding states (where most abortions are banned) search for nearby areas to relocate where they can lure women across state lines. To create a safe zone for life, last night, the Washington County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted for a groundbreaking zoning ordinance that puts severe limits on the ability of new abortion centers to invade the community. If put into place, it would effectively prohibit abortion facilities from doing business in the county. Next step is a review from the County Planning Commission. A final vote is anticipated in February. This follows on the footsteps of similar actions being taken in Bristol, Tazewell and Russell Counties. Learn more at our Safe Zone for Life website.
Speak Up! Virginia-Parental Rights: Our local Speak Up! Virginia teams also had a big week—with at least four school boards taking key action on parental rights policies after repeated requests from Speak Up! members via email and in-person testimony. That included unanimous votes last night from Chesterfield and Virginia Beach school boards—both adopted policies bringing them into alignment with the Youngkin administration’s new law (SB 656) requiring parents to receive prior notice and an opportunity to review sexually explicit materials being used in the classroom or during schoolwide instruction.
"We want this policy to be adopted in all classrooms, including drama classes or even announcements over the intercom from Kindergarten to 12th grade,” said Mandy, a Speak Up! Chesterfield mom, at the school board meeting last night. "I trust this is just the beginning of us working together for the betterment of our children,” added Gloria, a fellow team member and well-respected grandmother in the community. Their message was heard loud and clear:
Speak Up! Chesterfield team members were specifically recognized and mentioned by name by school board members, who thanked them before taking the final vote. "I just want to first say to your organization, Speak Up! Virginia, I absolutely 100% appreciate your respectful behavior here tonight in talking to us so politely and passionately... And to [Gloria] , you are an inspiration. Thank you for speaking tonight. You certainly inspired me and you touched my heart," said Board Member Debbie Bailey. To watch Gloria’s and other team member’s powerful testimonies, watch the school board video.
Other wins included the Albemarle school board adopting a parental rights policy last Thursday, and the Hanover school board taking the first steps toward doing so last night. “Clearly, one thing we can all agree on is that, if we really want to protect kids, we need to protect parents’ rights to be involved in directing their child’s education," said Family Foundation Vice President Candi Cushman, who also spoke on behalf of Speak Up! parents at the Chesterfield meeting.
