Virginia Governor Bans Worship But Considers Abortions ‘Essential’ During Months-Long Virus Lockdown


As part of his plan to protect the commonwealth of Virginia from the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus, Gov. Ralph Northam determined that citizens should not be allowed to attend church or worship services, but are fine travel to an abortion clinic and undergo an elective procedure like surgical abortion.

On Monday, March 23, Northam instituted an executive order making it a criminal offense to hold or attend a church service with more than 10 people.

The mandate classifies attending a church service with more than 10 individuals as a class one misdemeanor. Punishment for a class one misdemeanor includes jail time for a maximum of 12 months and a maximum fine of $2,500.

Two days later, Wednesday, March 25, Northam directed all hospitals and health care providers to stop performing elective surgeries or procedures in an effort to conserve supply of personal protective equipment and to make space for a potential surge in coronavirus patients. But the governor’s directive exempted “family planning services,” which includes abortion giant Planned Parenthood.

According to Planned Parenthood office in Roanoke, Virginia, the abortion giant will continue to perform abortion services during the COVID-19 pandemic, claiming abortion is an “essential” medical service.

Governors in other states such as Tennessee, Ohio, and Texas determined an abortion to be an “elective” service. As states work to ensure their ICUs and ERs can handle a surge of coronavirus cases, the goal of temporarily stopping abortion procedures is to prevent women from having to visit contagious ERs, in the event of a botched surgical or chemical abortion. Even women who receive non-surgical or chemical abortions face common side effects like incomplete abortions, hemorrhaging, and infection. These women, especially poor women, ultimately seek treatment in emergency rooms. Some studies have shown that as many as 5 to 7 percent of all women obtaining chemical abortions will require surgical procedures.

Additionally, these states want to halt any unnecessary procedures that would divert the use of masks, gloves, and other critical personal protective equipment away from doctors and nurses who desperately need them while treating contagious corona virus patients.

Northam, who advocated for late term abortion and infanticide in 2019, is more willing to throw Christians or other religious gatherers into jail over meeting with 11 fellow believers than he is to protect to the lives of health care workers and pregnant women.

Photo Flickr/Creative Commons
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