By Molly Manning
Thousands of Virginians of all ages gathered Wednesday morning at the Capitol in the 8th annual iteration of the “March for Life.”
Attendees chanted “hey hey, ho ho, abortion has got to go,” and toted signs in both English and Spanish showing their stances against reproductive care.
JR Gurley, a pastor and president of the Frederick Douglass Freedom Alliance of Virginia, began the rally with a prayer, telling the audience that “every child in the womb is not a mistake, they are a miracle.”
“Heaven is on the side of life,” Gurley said. “We will pray, we will vote and we will act.”
After Gurley, students from the Regents School of Charlottesville led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Many attendees held signs urging people to “vote no, safeguard human life.”
Virginians will vote in November on a constitutional amendment to provide every individual in the state has the right to reproductive freedom.
This amendment would allow the state to regulate abortion care in the third trimester only, and provides that the commonwealth cannot prohibit an abortion that a physician says is medically indicated to protect the life or physical or mental health of the pregnant individual or when a physician determines the fetus is not viable.
Del. Karen Hamilton, R-Culpeper, said of all the issues currently being debated in politics, the issue of life is the most important to her.
“Immediately after we took our oath of office back on day one of session back in January, it was a total gut-punch to see the extreme abortion amendment swiftly pass through the House,” Hamilton said. “I knew it was coming, but to realize it was their number 1 priority took the breath out of me.”
Hamilton recounted her own experiences as a mother, and her third high-risk pregnancy.
“They treated him like the separate human being he is,” Hamilton said. “We see discrepancies all through Virginia code regarding human life, Virginia provides more care for the nests and babies of wild birds than humans.”
Hamilton called up biblical stories, like those of David and Goliath, Moses and the Hebrews, and said God gave an unexpected victory in June 2022 when Roe v. Wade was overturned at the Supreme Court in a month that has been “tainted by a celebration of pride and rebellion.”
“So while the world may call June Pride Month, God declared it ‘Life Month,’” Hamilton said.
Pro-life advocate Leslie Blackwell followed Hamilton in addressing the crowd, she recounted her experiences with two abortions and the grief and shame she felt afterward.
Blackwell said she bought into lies, radical feminism and empty promises from the abortion industry. She listed psychological effects of abortion on both men and women, like depression, substance abuse and anxiety.
Victoria Cobb, president of The Family Foundation, a nonprofit “faith-based” organization focused on family, said the fight against the next amendment begins today.
“It steals from the child, from the mothers, the fathers, from generations, it destroys, and that’s what’s happening right now, right here in Virginia,” Cobb said. “In 2024, there were approximately 38,000 abortions in our commonwealth, just to compare, that’s compared to 94,000 live births.”
From 2023 to 2024, Virginia saw an increase of 6,600 abortions provided, which is likely the result of Dobbs V. Jackson and Florida’s 2024 six-week abortion ban — the commonwealth’s rate increased by about 4,400 out-of-state abortion patients, according to a Guttmacher study.
Katherine Blue is a part of the Students for Life Club at Piedmont Virginia Community College in Charlottesville — this was her first rally, which she said she attended because “a third of her generation is dead.”
“I believe that we should protect the unborn because they’re human and they deserve life,” Blue said.
Sarah Kenney, also a PVCC Students for Life member, said she’s marching for every human being’s right to exist.
Other organizations present included the Guardians for Life and the Virginia Society for Human Life.
Planned Parenthood whistle-blower Mayra Rodriguez was the keynote speaker of the rally. Rodriguez worked for Planned Parenthood for 17 years, until she said she could not ignore the truth anymore.
Rodriguez said women deserve better and showing up to the polls for elections matters.
“We cannot just march today, we must be ready for tomorrow,” Rodriguez said. “Ready on the polls, ready legislation, ready to give our voice to the ones who are willing to defend the voiceless.”
Following the 10 a.m. rally and march down 9th Street an hour later, the Family Foundation and The Leadership Institute hosted an afternoon training at the Greater Richmond Convention Center to “provide clear, factual information about the amendment, explain its potential impact, and equip you with practical tools to confidently and respectfully discuss the issue with others.”