Richmond is now a city of death

With the striking of Roe, the question of legalized abortion returned to the states. And I think pro-lifers are finally starting to understand what that means. The city of Richmond, Va., where I minister, is no exception.

Let me paint the picture for you. If you look at a map of pro-life policies at the state level, you’ll notice that the commonwealth of Virginia is pro-abortion but is encircled by pro-life states (except for Maryland). North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and West Virginia all do a better job of protecting the unborn in their laws. Meanwhile, Richmond sits at the nexus of two major interstate highways and has an airport. The result? Virginia’s capital city is fast becoming a hot spot for “abortion tourism.” This is where expectant mothers travel from pro-life states to pro-abortion states to have medical personnel kill their unborn babies. Richmond has become ground zero for murdering the innocent.

Many Richmonders are proud of this. And not just proud—they are actively facilitating this reputation at great expense. The Richmond City Council unanimously approved the sale of a property valued at $1.25 million to the Virginia League for Planned Parenthood to the tune of $10. Yes, you read that right. Ten dollars. It turns out that pro-abortion ideology isn’t cheap. The Family Foundation of Virginia is suing the city of Richmond for this irresponsible decision, but a judge denied the effort to pause the sale of the property.

The facility would be the third of its kind in Richmond—a 100,000-square-foot, $6 million testament to sexual confusion, cold-blooded murder, and despair. Richmond Democratic Mayor Levar Stoney noted an uptick in travel to Virginia for abortions. “To have these options and opportunities in the city of Richmond puts us in a class of our own,” he declared.

Of course, what Mayor Stoney considers a mark of pride is, in fact, a mark of shame. In case you were wondering, Richmond should never want to be in such a class of high-handed wickedness. But this is the same city where restaurants like Metzger Bar and Butchery will renege on reservations for conservative Christian groups at the last minute out of ideological spite.

As the City Council vote reveals, the moral convictions of local magistrates really do matter. While they cannot do much about national or state policy, local government leaders can make a difference on the life issue.

And this is the unsettling truth: The city government accurately reflects the moral turpitude of its citizens, at least when it comes to the sanctity of life. Selling a property at pennies on the dollar for an abortion mill fails to produce a widespread reaction of moral repugnance among the metro area’s citizenry. In fact, to round out the picture, most of the mayoral candidates in the upcoming election favor legalized abortion. Democrats Michelle Mosby, Harrison Roday, and Andreas Addison have all gone on the record in favor of abortion, at least in my cursory search online. Most scandalous of all is another Democrat, Danny Avula, a pediatrician who is sometimes lauded in Richmond’s evangelical circles. On his website, he clearly states his support for Planned Parenthood, “reproductive freedom,” and abortion tourism.

When we take in the whole ugly picture, I think one thing becomes clear: Virginians in general and Richmonders in particular must repent of their sin. The faithful churches of this metropolitan area must cry out in lamentation for this grievous evil and any part we may have played in it. We must support pro-life work, including pregnancy centers. Virginia’s Christians should get politically involved with the life issue. And we ought not to be afraid of praying Biblical imprecations against abortion and the massive systems that subsidize it. It goes without saying that the preaching, teaching, and discipline of churches here ought to be crystal clear. And we must acknowledge that until Richmond turns away from this wickedness, the city sits under God’s righteous frown.

He extends His abundant mercy to us. But we’ll not receive it in faith if we’re too busy trampling down our weakest neighbors when they prove themselves inconvenient and unwanted. Yet I have hope—Richmond has experienced spiritual awakening before. She can again, by the grace of God.