Virginia Christians Could be Jailed for 1 Year for Attending Church, But Abortion Clinics Can Keep Killing Babies

STATE   MICAIAH BILGER   MAR 27, 2020   |   10:11AM    RICHMOND, VA 

Virginia churches could face criminal penalties for holding services during the coronavirus outbreak.

Meanwhile, Gov. Ralph Northam, a pro-abortion Democrat who defended infanticide last year, is allowing abortion facilities to continue killing unborn babies in elective abortions unhindered.

“Ralph Northam is putting the profits of the $1 billion abortion industry ahead of the health, safety, and well-being of all Virginians,” said Victoria Cobb, president of the Family Foundation of Virginia. “His decision to allow abortions to continue when other elective procedures have been suspended is anti-science, anti-health, and anti-life.”

Pro-lifers all across the country are outraged by the situation in Virginia and other states where elective abortions are being prioritized over actual health care and religious freedom.

Though most churches already have stopped in-person services to combat the spread of the coronavirus, Northam issued an order, effective Tuesday, that would punish pastors with jail time or fines for holding religious services with more than 10 people, according to the Catholic News Service.

His Executive Order 53, unlike similar orders in other states, does not exempt churches. It states: “All gatherings of more than 10 people are banned statewide, beginning at 11:59 PM on Tuesday, March 24, 2020. This does not include gatherings that involve the provision of health care or medical services, access to essential services for low-income residents, such as food banks; operations of the media; law enforcement agencies; or operations of government.” The order will be in effect through April 23, but it could change and violator face a possible 12 month jail sentence and $1,200 in fines.

Earlier, Northam also ordered all non-essential businesses to close and non-essential medical procedures to be postponed. However, he carved out exceptions for elective abortions.

“The public health emergency order does not apply to any procedure if the delay would cause harm to a patient,” a news release from his office states. “The order also does not apply to outpatient visits in hospital-based clinics, family planning services, or emergency needs.”

Northam’s office pointed to concerns about sufficient medical supplies as a reason for temporarily banning non-essential medical procedures. But, in the same release, his office allowed abortion facilities to continue to kill unborn babies, even though abortions are almost entirely elective.

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In other words, right now in Virginia, people are banned from going to church, but they can still abort their unborn babies for any reason.

Judie Brown, president of American Life League, described the situation in more blunt terms: “All other elective surgery must be postponed … unless you want to rip a baby into six parts. That is the substance of a statewide order from Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, perhaps the most bloodthirsty governor in America.”

As Brown pointed out, Northam is still in office despite numerous scandals, including his defense of infanticide and a racist photo of him either in blackface or a KKK hood.

“And now? Northam has ordered all elective surgeries to be postponed … unless you want to rip a baby into six pieces, in which case, keep stacking up the dead babies,” Brown said. “What’s worse is that this is the same governor who has made it a Class 1 misdemeanor to go to Holy Mass.”

Despite what Democrat leaders claim, abortions are elective. Recently, medical groups representing more than 30,000 doctors in America emphasized that abortions are not “essential” or “urgent,” and abortion facilities that continue to operate during the pandemic are being “medically irresponsible.”

Abortions kill unborn babies and put mothers’ lives at risk. Common abortion complications include infections, blood clots, hemorrhaging and an incomplete abortion where parts of the baby remain inside the mother’s womb. Abortion risks include future preterm births, breast cancer, suicide, anxiety/depression, and death. And it is not true that abortions are safer than childbirth.