February 10, 2021
COVID restrictions can’t stop the Pro-Life Generation from letting our legislators know we are here!
Yesterday, on February 9, 2021, students in Virginia came to Richmond for a virtual lobby day and meeting with pro-life delegates.
Pro-life advocates have been able to fend off extreme pro-abortion bills in Virginia this year, including SB 1922, which would have forced taxpayers to fund abortions and require that businesses provide abortion coverage in their insurance plans.
Another bill that passed the Senate and could be voted on this week, SB 1276, would remove protective rules that prohibit the funding of abortion in Virginia health care benefit exchanges. It would permit Virginia taxes to pay for abortion. Our students partnered up with The Family Foundation of Virginia and spent the day urging legislators to oppose this bill and doing outreach to voters.
To get involved from home, take action TODAY and click here to reach out to your legislator.
At the start of our day in Richmond, we heard from experts in lobbying, and then we emailed and called all the members of the Virginia General Assembly to let them know we oppose SB 1276.
From there, we called pro-life voters to remind them about the Gubernatorial Election in November and remind them to vote pro-life! Lastly, we heard from Delegate Nick Freitas, and we were able to thank him for being a pro-life champion in Virginia.
Ann Melise Mullins, a high school student in Richmond, VA joined the lobby day and reflected on the importance of advocacy. She said, “I think it’s really important to advocate for what we believe to our Delegates and Senators. Often, we can forget who is in government and how we can engage with them as students, but I think it’s important to let them know who we are and where we stand. As a high school student, it’s important to be able to advocate and put words into what you believe in, especially when it comes to protecting the preborn.”
Even though citizens are not really allowed in the Virginia State Capitol this year due to COVID restrictions, we got creative and made sure our legislators were hearing from the pro-life generation. We will be back, Richmond!
This lobby day was part of our Pro-Life Future Campaign that is being launched in cities across the country to restore a culture of life in our local communities. In Virginia, we will be door-knocking in Richhmond and make communities and churches more aware of the pro-life resources in their neighborhood.
To learn more about the Pro-Life Future Campaign and to get involved visit our Pro-Life Future website.
Guest post by Stephanie Stone, Students for Life of America’s Capital Area Regional Coordinator
