(LifeSiteNews) — A pro-abortion pastor and elected Democrat has called the fight to protect abortion the “sacred choice of every soul,” as part of a new Planned Parenthood initiative.
Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia (PPAV) has enlisted five Democrats in the Virginia legislature for its “Bros for Repro” campaign to “amplify the voices of men who champion [so-called] reproductive rights and bodily autonomy” through grassroots lobbying and public speaking. The campaign is meant to help elect more Democrats to advance a proposed amendment to the Virginia Constitution establishing a state-level “right” to abortion.
“Bros for Repro” is designed to amplify the voices of men who champion reproductive rights and bodily autonomy—not just as allies, but as active leaders in the movement.
We will host Instagram Lives, phonebanks, canvass launches, and community events to mobilize supporters!💪🩷 pic.twitter.com/PQHAHN5sUt— Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia (@PPAVirginia) July 15, 2025
Among the participants is state Del. Joshua Cole of Fredericksburg, who, in remarks covered by WRIC, said, “I would just ask that we speak up, we show up, and we relentlessly stand up for the dignity and the sacred choice of every soul, every person, and affirming that justice is holy, freedom is sacred and real love honors choice.”
Cole is a “local pastor,” although scant details about his “ministry” are available online. In 2022, following the overturn of Roe v. Wade, he declared, “As a Pro-Choice Pastor – I am entrusted to shepherd my community. As a Pro-Choice Pastor – I took an oath to protect and I’ll fight to do just that. As a Pro-Choice Pastor – I know where I stand and I won’t back down.”
Cole’s conceptions of justice and his religious duty are directly contrary to actual Christian principles, which unambiguously oppose the direct, intentional, and avoidable killing of innocent, living human beings. The Bible repeatedly condemns “murder” and “shed(ding) innocent blood” as “detestable to” the Lord, because “in the image of God has God made mankind.”
WATCH: Virginia Democrats are teaming up with Planned Parenthood to push “bros for repro,” in an attempt to get men to become pro-abortion. pic.twitter.com/hkYIdvmIdN
— LifeSiteNews (@LifeSite) July 17, 2025
Republican Tim Anderson, a former member of the House of Delegates who is running to unseat Democrat state Del. Michael Feggans (another of the “Bros for Repro”), told WRIC that he found the PPAV initiative a “cheesy slogan on a very serious topic” that was trying to mine pro-abortion fervor among general Virginians that didn’t exist.
“When I talk to people, their issues are crime, the economy, they can’t pay for their bills because grocery prices are too expensive, utility prices are too expensive,” Anderson said. “Nobody has ever talked to me, not one time in the thousands of doors that we’ve knocked, that abortion is their top two or three issues.”
Abortion is legal in Virginia, but subject to a number of regulations such as clinic standards, parental involvement and informed consent requirements, and limits on public funding. The state is currently divided between a legislature that passes pro-abortion measures and Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who generally vetoes them.
In April, a study by the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute found that abortions in Virginia increased by 5,500 from 2023 to 2024, driven mostly by women traveling from pro-life states.