Chapter Profile Lynchburg Chapter of Virginia Society for Human Life Nation's First Local Chapter Celebrates 30th Anniversary.(Brief Article)

Lynchburg, VA - - Thunderstorms lit up the May 22 Lynchburg skies much as they had 30 years before when local pro-lifers held the formational meeting for the first local chapter of the first statewide right-to-life organization, Virginia Society for Human Life (VSHL). Who could have imagined back in 1971 that there would even be a need for a chapter 30 years later? Who could imagine "celebrating" when abortion is still legal three decades later?

But there is reason to celebrate, as current Chapter Chairman Kip Smith pointed out, because for 30 years, these dedicated volunteers have consistently kept respect for life at the forefront of the community's mind, educated their friends and neighbors on the life issues, and contributed to the success of pro-life candidates and legislation at both the state and local levels.

Nearly 100 local, state, and national pro-lifers gathered at Lynchburg College's Burton Student Center for the anniversary dinner and program featuring Virginia's Attorney General Mark L. Earley as the keynote speaker. (Mr. Earley subsequently resigned his position, having won the Republican Party's nomination to be Virginia governor.)

Rev. Carl B. Hutcherson, mayor of Lynchburg and pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church, welcomed the guests on behalf of the city and gave a stirring defense of life at all stages and for the protection of the innocence of children. The Honorable Geline B. Williams, National Right to Life's chairman of the board and co-founder of VSHL, was the mistress of ceremonies.

Clearly, the highlight of the event was the keynote address by Attorney General Earley. Earley was the primary sponsor of many successful pro-life bills while in the state Senate, including a parental notification bill and a ban on partial-birth abortion. Virginia's partial-birth abortion ban was subsequently invalidated by last summer's U.S. Supreme Court ruling Stenberg v. Carhart. As attorney general, Mark Earley and his team were successful in ...