Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson (D) has withdrawn his audacious plans to celebrate the “courage” of abortion providers by recognizing March 10 as Abortion Provider Appreciation Day after receiving significant backlash from his Catholic constituents.
Wilson previously signed a declaration recognizing the “courage, compassion and the high-quality care” of abortion services in Alexandria.
However, he quietly scrapped his grandiose plan after Arlington Bishop Michael Burbidge urged Alexandria’s Catholics to express their opposition over the weekend.
Per the Washington Free Beacon:
Fr. Chris Christensen, pastor of St. Rita’s in Alexandria, said he was appalled when his parishioners brought the mayor’s plans to his attention on Thursday. He began to spread the word immediately and the city scrapped the plan a day later after Catholic city residents flooded the mayor’s office with calls expressing their concerns.
“I was really, really impressed with our response,” Christensen told the Washington Free Beacon. “It’s the fact that our community is so family-oriented.”
Democratic-run cities such as Minneapolis and St. Louis have in recent years observed the National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers, a national movement in remembrance of Dr. David Gunn—an abortionist who was murdered on March 10, 1993. In his signed declaration, Wilson said the city should observe the day in light of the Supreme Court’s upcoming ruling on Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban, which could overturn Roe v. Wade and allow for more abortion restrictions around the country.
The mayor’s office did not respond to a request for comment.