ALEXANDRIA, Virginia (LifeSiteNews) The Alexandria City Council will not vote Tuesday on a proposed resolution to make March 10 “Abortion Provider Appreciation Day.”
Intense criticism appears to have led Democratic Mayor Justin Wilson to pull his proposed resolution from the agenda. “This proclamation has now been pulled from the agenda on Tuesday at my request,” Wilson said in an email obtained by The Daily Wire.
The bishop of the Diocese of Arlington, which includes Alexandria, has criticized the proposal.
“Violence of every kind must be condemned-and abortion is a direct, violent attack on human life,” Bp. Michael Burbidge said in a statement prior to the resolution’s removal. “Proposing a celebration of abortion and an ‘appreciation day’ for those who destroy lives defies comprehension.”
“The City of Alexandria should instead do the opposite. It should celebrate all those who save, protect and care for human life,” the bishop said. “It should re-direct its focus toward recognizing and supporting both mothers and their children, as so many dedicated and compassionate people in Alexandria do each day.”
Other conservatives said that the pushback against the resolution is an example of why it is important to push back against leftism at all levels of government.
“Praise God. It’s why it is so important to speak up against the Left pushing a radical agenda even at the local levels,” Mercedes Schlapp, a former communications adviser for President Trump, tweeted on March 4.
The governor of Virginia also weighed in on the controversy.
“The far left liberals continue to dominate the Democrat party and remind everyone that they are completely out of touch with Virginia values,” Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin told The Daily Wire. He said he was “saddened and disappointed” by the resolution.