History of Virginia Society For Human Life, Inc.

In the United States until the mid nineteen-sixties, Virginia and all states with few exceptions prohibited abortion unless the mother's life was endangered.

Society as a whole regarded abortion as an abhorrence. morally and legally. Even the word, abortion, was unmentionable, so evil and alien it was to the innate dignity and sanctity of human life. No matter society's other failings, the innocent, helpless babe awaiting birth was the most inviolable life of all.

Into this atmosphere, a concerted thrust for radical change was made by dissident elements in the fields of law, medicine, public health and eugenics.

In 1962, the American Law Institute proposed "liberalizing" (i.e., weakening) state abortion laws. Abortion- friendly state legislators were found in various states to sponsor an ALI type bill. In 1966, Colorado became the first state to "liberalize" its abortion law. Also in 1966, a prominent state public health official initiated the first public salvo to expand legal abortion in Virginia.

The year following, 1967, seeing the handwriting on the wall, a handful of concerned citizens founded the Virginia Society for Human Life to defend Virginia's law. It became the first state right to life organization in the country.

However, in 1970, after failing two years earlier, the pro-abortion forces succeeded in changing Virginia's law to permit abortion in case of rape or incest, if a child might be born with a defect, and for reasons affecting the mental or physical health of the mother. By 1972, a total of 17 states had similarly weakened their abortion laws. But now the tide had turned and no additional state changed its law prohibiting abortion.

The abortion lobby then turned to the courts to overturn state abortion laws. This move led to the 1973 Supreme Court legalization of what is tantamount to abortion on demand for the full nine months of pregnancy, an action so radical as to astonish even the most strident abortion extremist. The action in effect invalidated all laws prohibiting abortion in the 33 states that had never liberalized their laws as well as any restrictions still remaining in the 17 states that had changed their laws.

While shocking, the Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton rulings galvanized pro-life forces and led to rapid growth in the movement.

VSHL expanded its mission, program, organization and membership. Goals included restoration of the protection of the life of the unborn child in law and public policy and now also covered issues of infanticide, euthanasia, and human experimentation, companion issues propelled into ugly reality by the legalization of abortion.

In additional action, VSHL joined statewide pro-life organizations in other states to form the National Right to Life Committee. Based in Washington, D.C., NRLC is the largest grassroots right to life organization in the country. VSHL is NRLC's state affiliate in Virginia.

Many VSHL members work individually or in groups to serve girls and women involved in problem pregnancies and to alleviate other challenges to the human family that occur throughout life - illness, disability, dependency and poverty.

VSHL pursues its goals through educational, legislative and political action. Speakers, literature and videos are available upon request form VSHL headquarters in Richmond and from the 37 chapters around the state, A bi-monthly newsletter, "the Lifesaver," is mailed to members, and an annual conference is held in the spring.