Richmond City Council Approved Sale to Planned Parenthood for $10 in Unanimous Vote
- Milton Quintanilla Crosswalk Headlines Contributor
- Updated Jul 24, 2024
The Richmond Planned Parenthood unanimously approved the sale of a Planned Parenthood clinic Monday evening, which only cost $10. According to Richmond Biz Sense, the Virginia League for Planned Parenthood (VLPP) was approved for a $1.24 million property with an old Richmond City public school. VLPP is planning a $6 million Health Care Center.
“This will go beyond reproductive healthcare but general healthcare and behavioral health as well,” Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney said, WWBT reports.
He noted that there has been an 85 percent increase in people coming in from out of state to seek abortion and reproductive care in Virginia after Roe V. Wade was overturned in 2022.
Prior to the high court’s ruling, the Council approved a resolution expressing the city’s opposition to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.
As stated by the city, the new abortion clinic will create 20 jobs in “family planning, primary care, and gender-affirming care with subsidized fees to make care affordable to city residents who do not have insurance or whose insurance doesn’t cover the care they need or have high deductible plans.”
During Monday night’s meeting, people expressed strong opinions on the matter.
“I came here this evening that members of the city of council reconsider the decision to turn the piece of property located on Chamberlayne Avenue to Planned Parenthood facility,” one resident said.
“I think it’s a benefit to the residents on Northside, and as a father of two young daughters, I hope this care is there for them,” another said.
Meanwhile, one spokesperson from the Founding Freedoms Law Center sent a letter to Mayor Stoney and city council members informing them that voting on the measure at the present time is unlawful.
“The law requires a separate resolution to declare a property surplus before you pass an ordinance for sale; that has not been done,” Josh Hetzler from Founding Freedoms Law Center said.
On the other hand, Sharon Ebert, the City’s Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for the economic and Community Development Portfolio, told the Council, “The building was declared surplus by the Richmond Public School System in 2022 through an ordinance that you all adopted.”
Once the Council heard all sides of the argument, City Council members declined to discuss the matter and moved to take a vote, unanimously approving the sale immediately.
“We warned them. I warned them in my comments that they can spare themselves the expense, the time, and the embarrassment of a lawsuit, and they chose to ignore that, so I think that is the thing we look to do next.” Hetzler said.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Andrew Burton/Staff
