The Virginia Society for Human Life (VSHL) is a non-profit organization advocating an end to abortion in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the

National Right to Life Committee The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) is the oldest and largest national anti-abortion organization in the United States with affiliates in all 50 states and more than 3,000 local chapters nationwide. Since the 1980s, NRLC has influen ...

. It was founded in 1967 and is the oldest

anti-abortion Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respons ...

organization in the country. The group has a political action committee, VSHL PAC, to support

candidates for Virginia public office. Olivia Gans Turner is the current president of VSHL and the Director of the American Victims of Abortion (AVA).Historic VSHL Pro Life Camp
''National Right to Life News.org,'' 20 August 2012. Retrieved: 9 September 2013.

Activities

VSHL works opposes

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

embryonic stem cell research Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are pluripotent stem cells derived from the inner cell mass of a blastocyst, an early-stage pre- implantation embryo. Human embryos reach the blastocyst stage 4–5 days post fertilization, at which time they consist ...

, and

euthanasia Euthanasia (from el, εὐθανασία 'good death': εὖ, ''eu'' 'well, good' + θάνατος, ''thanatos'' 'death') is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering. Different countries have different eut ...

in Virginia with the ultimate goal of ending those practices in the state and nationwide. It lobbies for legislation to criminalize abortion and against reproductive rights legislation in the

Virginia General Assembly The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, the first elected legislative assembly in the New World, and was established on July 30, 161 ...

. VSHL president Olivia Gans Turner claimed that during Virginia General Assembly sessions, VSHL has a team of two to three people lobbying the General Assembly. In 2011, VSHL was involved in the passage of a bill to regulate abortion clinics as "ambulatory surgical centers". The bill, which passed the House by a large margin and passed the Senate after a tiebreaker vote from

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

Bill Bolling William Troy Bolling (born June 15, 1957) is an American businessman, politician and educator who served as the 39th Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. Running as a Republican, he was elected twice to the position by defeating his Democratic oppo ...

, contributed to the closure of three of the state's 21 abortion clinics between its enactment in 2011 and the Virginia Board of Health's 2015 vote to end the hospital-style regulations for abortion clinics. In August 2012, VSHL started an

youth camp called Camp Joshua that is part of the Life & Leadership Camps Initiative developed by the

National Right to Life National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

program. VSHL Olivia Gans Turner attended the event and presented workshops on how abortion affects women and the world. In the Fall of 2012, VSHL supported Virginia Governor

Bob McDonnell Robert Francis McDonnell (born June 15, 1954) is an American attorney, businessman, politician, and former military officer who served as the 71st governor of Virginia from 2010 to 2014. His career ended after his corruption scandal and convic ...

's push to have abortion clinics fall under the same regulations as hospitals.New Regulations Could Treat Virginia Abortion Clinics Like Hospitals
''National Public Radio.Org,'' 7 January 2013. Retrieved: 9 September 2013. In January 2013, VSHL supported an

rally at the Virginia State Capital that drew several hundred demonstrators. Several dozen pro-choice advocates showed up as well.Protesters on both sides of abortion debate gather at Capitol
''Times Dispatch.com,'' 9 January 2010. Retrieved: 9 September 2013. VSHL supported the amendment by Governor

Robert McDonnell Robert Francis McDonnell (born June 15, 1954) is an American attorney, businessman, politician, and former military officer who served as the 71st governor of Virginia from 2010 to 2014. His career ended after his corruption scandal and convic ...

to forbid insurers from offering abortion coverage if they elect to be part of the federal health exchange set up by the

Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presid ...

. The

approved the amendment on 3 April 2013 after the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

approved the amendment earlier in the day.Block on Abortion Coverage Passes
''Times Dispatch.com,'' 4 April 2013. Retrieved: 9 September 2013. In April 2013, VSHL advocated that the Virginia Board of Health require abortion clinics to follow the same construction standards as hospitals. The Virginia Board of Health approved regulations requiring the states abortion clinics to follow existing standards of construction for new hospitals by a vote of 11-2. "These reasonable regulations will begin to rein in reckless abortionists in Virginia" stated Olivia Gans Turner.
''Times Dispatch.com,'' 13 April 2013. Retrieved: 9 September 2013. In 2015, The Virginia Board of Health voted to remove these requirements on abortion clinics by a vote of 9–6.

Mission statement

"Virginia Society for Human Life, Inc., is a voluntary and non-denominational organization united in the belief that the human being in his innate dignity and worth should be safeguarded by law at every stage of biological development. Through education and legislative activity, the Society's purpose is to promote measures which will insure protection for all innocent human life."

VSHL PAC

VSHL PAC provides support to

candidates for public office, especially for

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...

, the

, and statewide offices. The VSHL endorsed

Fred Thompson Freddie Dalton Thompson (August 19, 1942 – November 1, 2015) was an American politician, attorney, lobbyist, columnist, actor, and radio personality. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a United States Senator from Tennessee f ...

for president in 2007. They also endorsed Gov.

, Lt. Gov.

, and Attorney General

Ken Cuccinelli Kenneth Thomas Cuccinelli II ( ; born July 30, 1968) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security from 2019 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, ...

in the

2009 elections The following elections occurred in the year 2009. * Electoral calendar 2009 * 2009 United Nations Security Council election Caribbean * 2009 Antiguan general election * 2009 Aruban general election * 2009 Caymanian constitutional referendu ...

, as well as 61 candidates for the

. VSHL PAC started in 1990 and has spent about $100,000 on federal elections since then. In the 2011 state elections, 11 of VSHL's endorsed

state Senate A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...

candidates and 21 endorsed House of Delegates candidates were elected.

''VSHL v. FEC''

VSHL was involved in a federal court case against the

Federal Election Commission The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent regulatory agency of the United States whose purpose is to enforce campaign finance law in United States federal elections. Created in 1974 through amendments to the Federal Election Cam ...

that was decided in 2001. VSHL planned to distribute voter guides for the

2000 elections The following elections occurred in the year 2000. Africa * 2000 Ethiopian general election * 2000 Ghanaian presidential election * 1999–2000 Guinea-Bissau general election * 2000–01 Ivorian parliamentary election * 2000 Ivorian presiden ...

that would detail VSHL's views on life issues and would show various candidates' positions on these issues. VSHL submitted a petition to the FEC asking it to repeal a subsection of election regulations that would declare these activities corporate expenditures, illegal for a

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...

non-profit. VSHL said the law was too broad. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division, agreed, and issued an injunction against the FEC prohibiting them from enforcing the law in question. However, the

United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (in case citations, 4th Cir.) is a federal court located in Richmond, Virginia, with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts: * District of Maryla ...

overturned the lower court's nationwide injunction and amended the injunction to apply only to VSHL.Circuit Court decision

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official websiteVSHL PAC website
Anti-abortion organizations in the United States Non-profit organizations based in Richmond, Virginia Organizations established in 1967