The Virginia Center for Health Statistics recently released its annual tabulation of abortions in Virginia. The latest list, for the year 1998, shows at total of 26,115 "induced terminations of pregnancy," little different from the 26,089 reported in 1997.

The largest number of abortions was in Northern Virginia. At total of 9,115 abortions were performed in that area, primarily in Alexandria, Manassas, Falls Church and Fairfax City. This was an increase of 7.7% over the 1997 figure. The next highest concentration was in the Norfolk-Virginia Beach area, which showed an increase of 3.3% over 1997, for a total of 7,671 abortions. The third highest area was around Richmond with 6,299 abortions, a decrease of 3.3% from the previous year. The largest percentage decrease in the state was in Roanoke where abortions dropped 14.4% to 1,454 in 1998.

This means that, on the average, one baby is intentionally killed before birth, here in Virginia, every twenty seconds of every day of the year.