#Virginia

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Richmond’s ‘Day Of Mourning’ To Show Solidarity Against Gov. Northam’s ‘Infanticide’ Comments

Over one month removed from Virginia Governor Ralph Northam‘s (D) highly controversial radio show comments regarding “infanticide,” a grassroots organization of pro-lifers is planning to voice their disgust and convene in the state capital of Richmond on April 6th for a “Day of Mourning.” Virginia pastors are also invited to join the event’s speakers to “repent for the church’s 46 years of silence and apathy.”

Governor Northam doubled down on his support for Delegate Kathy Tran’s (D-Fairfax) sweeping late-term abortion bill during the 2019 legislative session, just after a similar situation occurred in New York. Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) signed a bill into law to allow women to seek abortions after a fetus is 24 weeks old if the mother’s life or health is threatened by the pregnancy, also making it legal for women to have an abortion at any time if the fetus is not viable.

Following the development in New York, the spire atop New York City’s Freedom Tower, standing 1,776 feet above the ground, was lit bright pink in solidarity with the activists and lawmakers who helped push the monumental change.

The abortion bill supported by a majority of Virginia Democrats, however, goes even further. Delegate Tran, in her presentation to a House of Delegates subcommittee, was asked:

“Where it’s obvious that a woman is about to give birth, that she has physical signs that she is about to give birth, would that still be a point at which she could request an abortion if she was so certified?…She’s dilating, I’m asking if your bill allows that.”

Tran responded, “My bill would allow that, yes.”

The legislation, also known as the “Repeal Act,” would do away with restrictions on third trimester abortions, allowing abortion doctors to self-certify the necessity of late-term procedures, eliminate informed consent requirements, repeal abortion clinic health and safety standards, permit late-term abortions to be performed in outpatient clinics, remove ultrasound requirements, and eliminate Virginia’s 24-hour waiting period.

Days later, during an address on WTOP’s “Ask The Governor” segment, Northam commented on a situation that the bill would influence.

“If a mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen,” he said. “The infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother.”

Conservatives across the Commonwealth and the nation at-large quickly condemned Northam’s rhetoric, charging that he “supports infanticide.” The governor’s comments even got a mention during President Donald Trump‘s “State of the Union” address in late January, with the commander in chief charging lawmakers “to pass legislation to prohibit the late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in the mother’s womb.”

According to the event’s Facebook page, pro-life advocates will meet at the Greater Richmond Convention Center in downtown at 403 North 3rd Street on Saturday, April 6, between 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., where they expect thousands to be in attendance to “stand in solidarity with the unborn and mourn over the sin of abortion.”

“We are calling for a National Day of Mourning and repentance,” the group’s organizer says on the page. “We are in desperate need for God to move upon the hearts of young and old in our nation. If our hearts do not break over the killing of these little image bearers of God in the womb, we are dead inside!”

Organizers are asking attendees to do three things:

  1. Wear black
  2. Fast and pray
  3. Repent for the sin of abortion

Some of the speakers set to appear at the event are: authors and entrepreneurs Jason and David Benham; the “Activist Mommy” Elizabeth Johnston; former statewide Republican candidate and Bishop E. W. Jackson; eight-year-old abortion survivor Blythe Mullen; and Dallas, Texas-based singer, songwriter, and worship leader Anna Byrd.

Three weeks ago, over 4,000 people attended the group’s event in Albany, New York, with 40,000 more watching via livestream.

Featured News

State Senator Frank Wagner Announces Retirement After 28 Years In Virginia Legislature

Becoming the third Republican State Senator to retire this year, Frank Wagner (R-Virginia Beach) has announced that he will not seek reelection in 2019. The Naval Academy graduate has served in the General Assembly’s upper chamber since 2002, being a staunch proponent of improving transportation infrastructure in Hampton Roads, supporting veterans care, and aiding in deregulatory measures to promote business growth.

“It has been one of the highest honors of my life to serve the citizens of the Commonwealth. I want to thank the citizens of Virginia Beach and Norfolk for giving me that privilege of serving them in Virginia legislature,” the 63-year-old said in a statement.

“Virginia is a great state, which is why we choose to live here. I just hope that I have left our state a little better off for me having served. However, the time has come to turn my seat over to the next generation to continue to make Virginia a better place for all of us to live and raise our families,” he added.

Wagner began his 28-year legislative career in the House of Delegates, serving as the 21st House District’s representative from 1992 to 2001. Apart from being a member of the State Senate for the past 17 years, Wagner ran unsuccessfully to become the Republican Party’s nominee for governor in 2017 with a campaign slogan of, “One veteran, one businessman, one Virginian, one choice.”

During the 2019 legislative session in Richmond, Wagner’s legislation regarding coal ash ponds was passed by the General Assembly. S.B. 1355 requires coal ash ponds to be closed by moving coal ash to lined landfills on site or recycled. According to the bill, approximately 27 million tons of coal ash across the Commonwealth will be secured in a safe manner.

S.B. 1746, which was also passed, directs the Department of Education to encourage school boards that have a significant number of enrolled military-connected students to partner with the National Math and Science Initiative to provide such students with the tools and resources necessary to advance science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning, job creation, and career readiness.

Wagner also helped lead the charge to ban people from holding a cell phone while driving a to mitigate distracted driving injuries and fatalities in the Commonwealth, but the bill failed to become law.

Senate Majority Leader Tommy Norment (R-James City) said of Wagner’s retirement, “Having worked closely with Frank for many years, he has become a great and close friend.”

“With nearly three decades serving the people of Virginia in the General Assembly, and his earlier service to our nation in the Navy, I know Frank will continue to find ways to contribute to Virginia, America, and, of course, Hampton Roads,” he added in a statement.

Senators Richard “Dick” Black (R-Loudoun) and Bill Carrico (R-Grayson) also announced their plans not to run for reelection this November. Currently, the GOP is holding onto a slim 21-19 majority in the upper chamber, with Democrats already eyeing the 7th State Senate District that encompasses Virginia Beach and parts of Norfolk.

Featured News

Delegate Steve Landes Plans To Retire From House, Run For Circuit Court Clerk

After 12 terms in the Virginia House of Delegates, Steve Landes (R-Weyers Cave) has announced that he will not seek re-election this November. However, the senior Republican legislator is set to run for an open clerk of the court position in Augusta County as Carol Brydge announced she plans to retire April 1.

Landes’ decision comes as a surprise just as Republicans gear up to defend their slim majority this November as all 140 seats in the General Assembly are up for reelection. In the House, Republicans have a 51-49 majority, and a 21-19 majority in the State Senate.

As the 25th House District’s representative, which covers portions of Albemarle, Augusta, and Rockingham counties, Delegate Landes also served as chairman of the House Education Committee, vice chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, and vice chairman of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC). Moreover, he was a member of the Rules and Privileges and Elections committees, the House Select Committee on School Safety, and the lower chamber’s member on the Governor’s Advisory Council on Revenue Estimates.

During his tenure in the statehouse in Richmond, which began in 1996, Landes focused on promoting economic development, fostering education innovations, and increasing healthcare choice, access, and affordability. According to his website, he was named the 2016 Legislator of the Year by both the Virginia Chamber of Commerce and the Virginia Retail Merchants Association and named the Partners for College Affordability and Public Trust’s “2018 Champion of Affordable College” for his work during last year’s legislative session.

During the 2019 session, Delegate Landes introduced H.B. 1729 as a part of the House Select Committee on School Safety’s 24-point priority recommendation list. The bill would require school counselors across the state to spend at least 80 percent of their time counseling students.

Another important piece of legislation from Landes this year, H.B. 1611, provides that the ratio of the assets to the obligations of the Virginia College Savings Plan shall not exceed 105 percent, given the plan is the most well-funded its been in its history. He said the bill “will have a significant impact on families being able to keep more money in their pockets and attend college at a lower cost” in a news release.

As of Monday, no one announced their intent to run for the Republican nomination for the soon-to-be vacant seat. The 25th District Legislative District Republican Committee voted in February to hold a party canvass for its candidate. The deadline to file with the committee is March 6 at 5:00 p.m.