Ralph Northam went on Virginia radio in 2019 and called a newborn's fate a "discussion" between doctors and the mother.

Seven years later, pro-abortion Democrats want abortion up to birth locked into Virginia's constitution.

One Catholic bishop ordered every parish in his diocese to sound the alarm, and not everyone showed up to listen.

Bishop Burbidge Asks Catholics to Fast and Vote No on Question 1

Bishop Michael Burbidge of the Diocese of Arlington is not whispering about this.

On his Walk Humbly podcast, he asked Catholics to pray and fast every Friday in October to defeat Question 1 on Virginia's ballot, along with a second amendment that would rewrite the definition of marriage.

"Prayer, fasting, sacrifice – all these are important," Burbidge said. "We have the truth and we have the power of prayer."

The Church dedicates October to defending unborn life, and Catholics keep Fridays as days of penance in memory of Christ's death on the cross.

The timing is no accident.

Early voting opened September 18 and runs through Election Day on November 3.

Earlier in September, Burbidge did something he had never done in a decade as bishop.

He told the priests of all 70 parishes to read his letter aloud at Masses the weekend of September 12 and 13.

Some Catholics deliberately went to Mass outside the diocese that weekend so they would not have to hear it.

Burbidge did not flinch.

"We expect that there's going to be opposition," he said.

Instead of firing back, his priests are reaching out to upset parishioners and inviting them to sit down and talk face to face.

"We always tell the truth," Burbidge said. "We don't compromise that."

Virginia Democrats Pushed the Question 1 Abortion Amendment Onto the Ballot

Democratic Del. Charniele Herring sponsored the amendment that passed the House of Delegates on January 14.

It cleared the General Assembly in 2025 and again in 2026 on straight party-line votes.

Not one Republican in either chamber voted for it, in either year.

The ballot language sounds gentle – "personal decisions about prenatal care, childbirth" and a list of other soft-focus phrases.

The amendment lets Virginia regulate third-trimester abortion but bars the state from stopping any abortion a physician judges necessary for the mother's "physical or mental health."

That mental health exception is wide enough to drive a truck through.

In their joint letter, Burbidge and Richmond Bishop Barry Knestout warned it would permit abortion "all the way up to birth and for 'every individual,' even children."

They called it "extreme, dangerous, radical and horrific" and warned it would "push parents out of life-changing and irreversible decisions for their minor daughters."

Ohio's Abortion Amendment Was Used to Block Its 24-Hour Waiting Period

Ohio voters passed a similar "reproductive freedom" amendment in November 2023.

By August 2024, Franklin County Judge David Young had used it to block Ohio's 24-hour waiting period and its informed consent law.

Those laws gave a frightened mother 24 hours and the plain facts before an irreversible decision.

Judge Young ruled that the laws caused "harms" to the abortion clinics suing the state and their patients.

A single day to think it over became a constitutional injury.

Former Manassas Abortion Clinic Is Now a Free Pregnancy Care Center

In Manassas, the Amethyst Health Center for Women abortion clinic shut its doors in 2015.

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington took over the building and turned it into Mother of Mercy.

Women in crisis pregnancies now walk through those same doors for free prenatal care, counseling, diapers, food and help with rent.

More than 1,000 women were served by Mother of Mercy between January 2019 and mid-2024, according to The Washington Times.

One mother, Maria, said the clinic made her "feel like I'm well taken care of."

That is what the pro-life side offers Virginia mothers.

Charniele Herring and her party are offering them Question 1.

Question 1 Supporters Outspend the Vote No Campaign More Than Five to One

Supporters of Question 1 have poured in $2.8 million, compared to less than $500,000 for the Vote No side, according to The Daily Signal.

A Christopher Newport University poll found 66% of Virginians like the idea of constitutional "reproductive rights."

But when voters learn what the amendment actually does, the response "more than flips."

His video message has pulled more than 825,000 impressions on X.

"Many have said this is the first time they were learning about these proposed amendments," Burbidge said.

The abortion industry is counting on Virginians never reading past the ballot's pleasant opening line.

All that money cannot buy a priest standing in front of his congregation on a Sunday morning and telling families the truth.

Burbidge is asking Catholics to skip a meal on Fridays, get their college-age kids registered and voting, and vote early themselves.

That is a small sacrifice when babies in the third trimester are on the ballot.

"I have hope here that with the grace of God and with our continued efforts, that Virginia could pull off something miraculous here," Burbidge said.

Pro-life Virginians have five Fridays of prayer in October and every early voting day until November 3 to prove him right.

Sources:

• Robert Bluey, "Virginia Bishop Urges Catholics to Act Before Election Day," The Daily Signal, September 24, 2026.
• Joe Thomas, "Virginians, Don't Fall for the Abortion Amendment Deception," The Daily Signal, September 18, 2026.
• Bishop Michael F. Burbidge and Bishop Barry C. Knestout, "Pre-Election Letter: This Election Season Is Different," Catholic Diocese of Arlington, August 21, 2026.
• Virginia Department of Elections, "Proposed Constitutional Amendment, Question 1," 2026.
• Mark A. Kellner, "Former Abortion Clinic in Virginia Now Gives Free Care to Women in Crisis Pregnancies," The Washington Times, May 31, 2024.
• Cassy Cooke, "Ohio Judge Rules Informed Consent and 24-Hour Abortion Waiting Period Cause Harms," Live Action News, August 24, 2024.
• Sasha Savitsky, "Networks, CNN and MSNBC Largely Ignored Virginia Gov. Northam's Abortion Bill Remarks, Analysis Shows," Fox News, January 31, 2019.