Virginia Public Media (VPM) canceled an event featuring an anti-abortion doctor after learning the gathering would involve… pro-lifers?
The Virginia Professional Association for Women’s Safety in Medicine said it booked space at VPM’s Richmond headquarters about a month ago for an Oct. 2 event opposing Virginia’s proposed constitutional amendment protecting abortion rights. The organization said VPM accepted the payment before canceling the reservation and issuing a full refund.
In an email to organizers exclusively obtained by The Daily Telegraph, VPM said private events at its facilities must be consistent with the organization’s mission.
“As we were unaware of the political nature of your event, the contract is void and you will receive a full refund,” the email said.
The group is registered with the Virginia Department of Elections as a political committee opposing the amendment.
According to medical groups, VPM canceled appointments the same day doctors began treatment Advertise the event as an opportunity to oppose Question 1, the abortion amendment on Virginia’s November 3 ballot.
The group, which said it represented nearly 200 medical professionals, later moved the press conference to the Virginia State Capitol. The event is scheduled for Friday at 11 a.m.
Dr. Timothy Boley, a maternal-fetal medicine expert who leads the group, said the cancellation would not stop doctors from speaking out about the amendment.
“VPM may try to cancel our event, but we are moving forward,” Boly said. “We will still hold a press conference and lay out the facts that expose the medical dangers of Question 1.”
The proposed amendment would add a constitutional right to “reproductive freedom” to the Virginia Constitution’s Bill of Rights. It’s one of three constitutional amendments scheduled for a statewide vote on Nov. 3.
VPM has separate report Opinions on the amendment range from arguments by abortion opponents who say abortion could undermine health and safety regulations to pro-life experts who dispute the interpretation.
The medical group believes Question 1 would eliminate existing health and safety protections and allow unlicensed providers to perform abortions in facilities not subject to medical inspection.
Christina Francis, a board-certified ob-gyn and CEO of the anti-abortion Ob-Gynecologists Action Association of America, a Virginia-affiliated organization, accused VPM of denying Virginians the opportunity to hear directly from their doctors. “The VPM is silencing the voices of our physicians, which is a disservice to their audience, which is Virginians across the Commonwealth who will be heading to the ballot box in one month,” Francis said.
VPM’s avowed mission is to “harness the power of media to educate, entertain and inspire,” and its news operations cover statewide politics and issues before the Virginia General Assembly.