The overturning of Roe v. Wade was a long-awaited victory for pro-lifers. But in Virginia, national and local pro-abortion forces stymied the pro-family environment many Catholics had hoped would follow the Supreme Court reversal.
In recent years, the number of abortions, including abortions performed on out-of-state women, has grown. The number of abortion providers has increased, and the commonwealth is on its way to enshrining the right to abortion in the state constitution.
Though the situation is dire, pro-lifers still have numerous opportunities to turn the tide and save lives, said Amy McInerny, diocesan Respect Life director. “This is our moment now in Virginia,” she said. “All of us need to be proclaiming the Gospel of life in the public square.”
The increase in the number of abortions in Virginia stems in part from the loosening of several abortion regulations in 2020. Safeguards — such as the 24-hour waiting period, the requirement that only doctors perform abortions and the rule that women must have an ultrasound confirming pregnancy before an abortion — were removed. “The General Assembly repealed even the common sense health and safety regulation around abortions,” said McInerny.
In 2023, there were an estimated 34,600 abortions in Virginia, an 84.8 percent increase since 2020, according to the Guttmacher Institute, the research arm of Planned Parenthood. Many of those abortions were performed on non-Virginians. Guttmacher data show women coming from nearby localities such as Maryland and Washington, but also hundreds coming from southern states with more life-affirming laws, including Texas, Tennessee, Georgia and South Carolina. “The abortion lobby wants Virginia to be the abortion capital of the South,” said McInerny. “They want to make Virginia an abortion destination, and it’s happening.”
The rise in abortion providers may have contributed, too. In 2024, the Meadow Reproductive Health & Wellness opened in McLean, the fourth brick-and mortar-abortion center in the Arlington diocese. The website notes the location — walking distance from a Metro station and in between two major airports — was chosen to make it more accessible. Others recently have opened in southern Virginia, including a center in Danville. More are in the works. The City of Richmond sold a building valued at $1.25 million for $10 to Planned Parenthood, which already has two abortion-performing centers in Richmond.
The growth of medication abortions, or terminations via the abortion pills, has grown, too, allowing women to have abortions in their own homes. Among a number of abortion telehealth options for Virginians, in 2024 the Satanic Temple opened a virtual abortion center offering low-cost abortion medication, what they call “religious abortion services.” This is their second such operation; the first opened in New Mexico in 2023.
“It’s disappointing they’ve chosen Virginia,” said Victoria Cobb, president of The Family Foundation, a Christian advocacy group. “Virginia is being targeted by the industry nationally as a place to grow.”
This year, Virginia is a step closer to having a right to abortion enshrined in its constitution. The Virginia constitution amendment process begins when both houses of the General Assembly pass an amendment. The governor cannot veto it. After an election, another session of the General Assembly must pass the same amendment. Finally, the amendment appears on the ballot for Virginians to vote on. The abortion amendment was passed in both houses this month.
“We once again express our alarm and dismay at the aggressive pursuit of enshrining a ‘right’ to abortion in Virginia’s constitution by majorities in the House and Senate,” Bishop Michael F. Burbidge and Richmond Bishop Barry C. Knestout said in a joint statement Jan. 21 following Senate approval of the amendment. “This resolution is extreme, radical, deadly, and tragically misguided. It would expand our Commonwealth’s already very permissive abortion laws and allow virtually unlimited abortion at any stage of pregnancy. We again implore all lawmakers to work instead for policies that affirm the life and dignity of every mother and every child.”
Pro-lifers have numerous concerns with the amendment. Cobb called it broader than simply a codification of Roe. The amendment’s language is intentionally vague, said McInerny, leaving it open to wide interpretation.
The amendment states that “every individual has the fundamental right to reproductive freedom.” It does not specify adults, meaning that children could be allowed to get an abortion without the consent or knowledge of their parents. It also does not define reproductive freedom, meaning it could allow minors to have unmitigated access to cross-sex hormones or organ-removing surgeries, opponents argued. The amendment prohibits the commonwealth from penalizing anyone who helps a woman get an abortion, which could make it difficult to punish anyone who injures or kills a woman while performing an abortion.
“It’s mind-boggling how far reaching the negative consequences of this amendment will be,” said McInerny.
The diocese is encouraging all Catholics to sign up for legislative updates from the Virginia Catholic Conference, the lobbying arm of the Virginia bishops, and to attend advocacy events in Richmond including Virginia Pro-Life Day Jan. 29 and the Virginia March for Life April 2. While everyone should vote and advocate, said McInerny, there are many ways to get involved. Some Catholics may be called to volunteer at one of the many maternity homes or pregnancy resource centers in the diocese, or at their parish pro-life ministry. In fiscal year 2024, 500 pregnant mothers in need were served by the parish-based Gabriel Project ministry; 103 women received post-abortion care through Project Rachel. “We’re not all called to do the same thing, but we all must do something,” said McInerny.
Joe Flaherty, a parishioner of St. Charles Borromeo Church in Arlington, feels called to pray — specifically outside a Falls Church abortion center. There he leads a 40 Days for Life campaign, joined by sidewalk counselors and silent witnesses alike from nearby St. James Church in Falls Church and as far away as Christendom College in Front Royal, said Flaherty. Many other parishes and Protestant churches take weekly shifts, too.
“I think it’s definitely drawn me closer to God,” said Flaherty. “It’s not the most comfortable place to be, but that’s probably the best place to be.”
Maraist is a freelancer from Reston.
Find out more
To sign up for Virginia Catholic Conference email alerts, go to vacatholic.org. Register for Virginia Pro-Life Day in Richmond Jan. 29 at vaprolifeday.org.
