Virginia Pro-Life Day: Advocating for life at the State Capitol

Catholic students from Virginia Military Institute and Washington & Lee University visit the Capitol on Virginia Pro-Life Day Jan. 29. (Photo/Claire Bebermeyer)

The hallways of the State Capitol building were crammed Jan. 29 with pro-life advocates, who traveled to Richmond for Virginia Pro-Life Day.

Organized by the Virginia Catholic Conference, The Family Foundation, Virginia Society for Human Life, and the dioceses of Arlington and Richmond, Virginia Pro-Life Day is an opportunity for pro-life advocates to speak with their state representatives.

Neal Lineberry, parishioner at St. Mary Star of the Sea, Hampton, and Adri Cline, a Catholic student at Christopher Newport University, met with state Sen. J.D. “Danny” Diggs (R-24). Lineberry encouraged Diggs to continue supporting pro-life bills, and suggested a strategy for combating a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would guarantee a right to abortion without limits.

“The way the amendment is worded right now, there’s a lot of vagueness,” said Lineberry. “We need to get a door-to-door campaign, with some kind of information you can leave at the door, to educate people who may not be aware.”

The amendment has passed both houses of the General Assembly. If the amendment passes both houses again next year with its language unchanged, it will go to a ballot referendum in November 2026.

“Since the Dobbs v. Jackson [Supreme Court] decision, it’s extra important to talk with state delegates,” said Cline. “It’s something that I feel passionate about.”

Other life-related bills on the floor of the General Assembly include an adoption tax credit, a child tax credit, and a bill that protects babies born alive during failed abortions.

“There are a lot of important bills that need to either be passed or shot down that a lot of Catholics may not know about,” said Liam Noonan, a Catholic student at Virginia Military Institute. “It’s important to get involved at the state level.”

After meeting with delegates, many advocates gathered at St. Peter Pro-Cathedral, Richmond, for a noon Mass celebrated by Bishop Barry C. Knestout. Thirteen priests from our diocese and the Diocese of Arlington concelebrated, and every pew in the church was packed.

The Mass readings were focused on the gift of life: Isaiah 49:1-6, Ephesians 3:14-21, and Luke 1:39-56, the Gospel account of the Visitation. In his homily, Bishop Knestout offered words of encouragement to advocates who fear that their voices may not be heard.

“When you bring to a relationship your desire for good, and you speak the truth, those words have effects, even if we don’t see them for many years,” said the bishop. “In those moments of frustration, we are called to a deeper faith in the Lord, knowing that the Lord will accomplish our efforts.”

 

See more photos from Virginia Pro-Life Day.

 

Scroll to Top