Hundreds gather to protest Virginia anti-abortion Legislation
Hundreds of women, and some men, linked arms and stood mute in front of the Virginia State Capitol to protest the slew of anti-abortion legislation that had made its way to the 2012 General Assembly.
According to the Associated Press, the group of up to 1,000 were protesting against bills that would cut off state-aided abortions for poor women, define embryos as humans, therefore criminalizing their destruction, and require invasive ultrasounds for women seeking abortions.
The event was a silent protest called, “Speak Loudly with Silence”, starting at 11 a.m. and lasting until 12:30 p.m. Attendees were encouraged to walk into the General Assembly building to voice their arguments against the anti-abortion bills, RVA News reported. A rally was scheduled at the Bell Tower for 2 p.m.
“Things are being passed I’d never thought would be passed,” Erin Reichhardt, a protester, told RVA News. She added that the recent bills initiated her decision to be politically active.
Gov. McDonnell has the ability to veto any bill that passes through the General Assembly, but he might encounter issues if it passes through both the House of Delegates and State Senate.
The Richmond Times reported that the House of Delegates were to vote today on the bill that would require ultrasounds of women, but the bill was overlooked for the day at the request of Del. Kathy J. Byron, R-Campbell.
