Week in Review
Virginia League for Planned Parenthood’s Attempt at a Third Facility in Richmond Falls Through
On Tuesday morning, The Richmonder reported that the Virginia League for Planned Parenthood’s plan to build a third abortion facility has been canceled. The article states that VLPP cited “financial reasons,” explaining that the city of Richmond, Virginia, never transferred the parcel of property to the organization.
STOPP first reported on this political deal between the city of Richmond and Planned Parenthood in July 2024, highlighting the fact that this would be the third Planned Parenthood facility in the city of Richmond. Not only had this building served as a former school for students with cerebral palsy, but Richmond sold it to VLPP for a measly $10, while the property was worth nearly $1.36 million. VLPP’s CEO, Paulette McElwain, was ecstatic over the initial real-estate deal, boasting that the affiliate could promote that its third facility in the community would commit abortions for women traveling from out of state.
However, this sketchy deal was not meant to be, and we are grateful for that. Though VLPP was given the property almost for free, it still blamed federal pauses on its Medicaid and Title X reimbursements as the main reason the expansion failed. Additionally, The Richmonder explained that “under the city’s own policies, public property is not supposed to be sold unless the city has formally declared it surplus and gone through a competitive bidding process.” It continued, “However, the city hasn’t been following that policy and often passes ordinances that declare a property surplus and approve a sale to a particular buyer at the same time.”
In 2024, the Family Foundation filed a lawsuit against the city, alleging that the sale was in violation of the city’s own code regarding its selling of properties, but the suit was ultimately dismissed by a judge.
This whole deal was made for pro-abortion politicians to protect the evil committed by Planned Parenthood, which has corrupted the city of Richmond for too long with its other two facilities that take the lives of innocent preborn children daily. While there are no current plans for the property, it at least remains free from Planned Parenthood’s efforts.
We are grateful to Our Lord that this third attempt at another death facility has failed to progress, and we are thankful for the prayers and efforts of all who stand for life.
Church Leaders, Pro-Lifers, and Others Gather to Discuss Threats to Religious Liberty
In a meeting of the Department of Justice’s Religious Liberty Commission on March 16, several bishops and pro-life advocates brought attention to recent attacks on the sanctity of life and religious liberty. The meeting featured testimony from witnesses regarding conscience protections, abortion pill reversal, physician-assisted suicide, vaccines, and gender ideology. The commission will use these testimonies in a report advising President Trump about the best ways to protect and promote religious liberty in the US.
President Trump established the commission in May 2025. Its members include Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who retired after serving as archbishop of New York, and Bishop Robert Barron (Winona-Rochester, Minnesota).
During the meeting, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone (San Francisco, California) discussed recent governmental attacks on Catholic hospitals and organizations. Cordileone spoke about the Little Sisters of the Poor, a group of religious sisters who bring Christ’s love to the poor around the world. The sisters began fighting the Affordable Care Act’s contraception mandate in 2011 and received a US Supreme Court victory in 2020. But in August 2025, a court found that the federal government failed to properly issue an exemption to the mandate and ruled against the sisters. They are in court again to appeal the decision.
Archbishop Cordileone also addressed current lawsuits against Catholic hospitals that refuse to commit abortions or perform “gender-affirming” surgeries. “Here we have the secular government defining for religious communities what it means to be religious,” he said. “If we lose this fight, we will have lost the soul of our country.”
A pro-life nurse practitioner discussed her home state of Colorado’s attempts to ban abortion pill reversal. Her pregnancy center sued the state and won a permanent injunction against the law in August 2025. She and a Catholic OB/GYN spoke about alarming legal efforts to silence pro-life voices or force practitioners to kill babies.
Two doctors warned the commission about the growing threat of physician-assisted suicide in the US. They discussed the pressure patients face, the difference between removing life support and euthanasia, and the “slippery slope” of legalized assisted death.
The commission also heard testimony from a counselor who is fighting a Colorado law that forbids counseling that could be considered “conversion therapy” for children suffering from gender dysphoria or same-sex attraction. Parents whose children have been excluded by schools because they did not receive vaccines spoke at the meeting as well.
During the meeting, Bishop Barron urged Church leaders to share truth and Church teaching boldly. “We’ve got to come forward in the public space, articulate what is the human good. I think we’ve become more reticent, and we’ve succumbed to the pressures from the secular ideology,” he said. “We’ve got to keep articulating what the good is, because otherwise we won’t know what love really is.”
We wholeheartedly agree. Government sentiments change, but faithful teaching, prayer, and courageous obedience to God’s law remain the only lasting ways to protect our beliefs, our country, and our faith.
ALL in the News
The Wednesday STOPP Report came out this week. You can read it here.
Susan Ciancio, editor of Celebrate Life Magazine and director of the Culture of Life Studies Program—ALL’s pre-K-12 pro-life education program—wrote an article about the media’s failure to portray the baby as a beautiful gift in movies and TV shows and what we can do about it. It was published in Catholic World Report.
Susan wrote an article about the Sisters of Life’s podcast, Let Love. It was published in LifeSiteNews.
Susan also wrote an article about St. Nicholas Owen’s moral courage, which was published in Catholic365.
Twice a week, Judie’s commentaries are distributed to an expansive media list. The list contains over 100 media outlets such as Fox News, The Federalist, Breitbart, and The Daily Caller, among others. Judie’s commentaries are each featured on the front page of ALL.org.
Pro-Life Education
Culture of Life Studies Program
All Shapes and Sizes: Learning about the Beauty and Dignity of People with Disabilities and Other Challenges helps students understand that the value of every human being exists because we are all made in the image and likeness of God. Our value does not depend on our appearance, ability, or background. To show children the beauty of the human person from creation until death, this downloadable lesson booklet examines Down syndrome, autism, the beauty of the elderly, and the fact that it’s okay to be different. In celebration of World Down Syndrome Day on Sunday, we are offering this booklet for just $5! ORDER HERE
ALL’s Education Materials
The Doctor Has Advised You: Advice for Parents Expecting a Special Child: What do you say when the doctor tells you that your preborn baby may be born with a disability? This enlightening and educational brochure explains what you need to know and helps you understand the dignity of all human beings, no matter their ability. SHOP NOW
Pro-Life Social Media
VIDEO SHORT: The Rosary That Shouldn’t Be
Over the course of the many video shorts we’ve published, none have received as many comments as our explainer on the Rosary of the Unborn. The video explains this rosary’s origin and why Catholics should not believe the promises made by the folks who manufacture it. Keep in mind, praying for the protection of children waiting to be born is a charitable thing. Supporting a ministry that has been condemned by the local ordinary—twice—by purchasing these rosaries is not.