by Jeff Bayard | Virginia Christian Alliance
Democrats Plow Pro-Life Christians Off Virginia’s Sidewalks—Up to 12 Months in Jail
In my recent article Virginia’s Perfect Storm: How One-Party Rule Threatens Life, Liberty, and Law Enforcement, I warned that Democrats are building a coordinated system to enshrine abortion through birth (HJ1), eliminate biblical marriage (HJ3), and fundamentally reshape Virginia. Now they’ve added the enforcement mechanism: Virginia Senate Bill 137 makes it a crime to try to stop abortion.
Virginia SB137 just passed the Senate Courts of Justice Committee 8-7—all Democrats in favor, all Republicans opposed. When it becomes law, Virginia Christians will face criminal charges for obeying
Proverbs 31:8-9: “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.”
This is not hype. This is reality. And you need to know what’s happening—because your pastor probably hasn’t told you.
What Virginia SB137 Actually Does
SB137 creates criminal penalties for “obstructing health care facility access.” Here’s what that means in plain English:
Class 1 Misdemeanor (up to 12 months jail, $2,500 fine): Anyone not authorized by the facility who “knowingly obstructs, detains, hinders, impedes, blocks, or delays” another person’s entry to or exit from a health care facility.
Class 3 Misdemeanor (up to $500 fine): Approaching someone within 8 feet in public areas or sidewalks within a 40-foot radius of the facility entrance without consent, if the intent is to distribute materials, display signs, or engage in “oral protest, education, or counseling.”
Let’s be clear about what this means:
An 8-month pregnant woman walks toward an abortion clinic. You approach her within 8 feet to offer help, show an ultrasound, hand her a pamphlet, or quietly say “Please, we have resources”—and you face criminal charges.
The 8-foot “bubble zone” makes it impossible to engage in sidewalk counseling. You cannot approach. You cannot speak. You cannot hand literature.
Virginia’s First Amendment streets become sterile killing zones where no voice of conscience is allowed.
But here’s what makes this truly diabolical: SB137 doesn’t exist in isolation.
The Complete System Democrats Are Building
As I documented in Virginia’s Perfect Storm, SB137 completes the abortion-on-demand infrastructure. Democrats are building a comprehensive system where abortion is both constitutionally protected and those who try to stop it face criminal prosecution.
HJ1 (Constitutional Amendment): Enshrines abortion through birth with one doctor’s approval based on vague “mental health” concerns. No parental consent. Taxpayer funded. Virginia becomes a destination state.
SB137 (Criminal Law): Criminalizes anyone trying to stop it. Sidewalk counselors, 40 Days for Life participants, pregnancy center volunteers—all face criminal charges for approaching women to offer help.
This is a coordinated assault: the constitutional right to kill plus criminal penalties for trying to save. It’s comprehensive, intentional, and brutally effective.
Now, let me address the elephant in the room: Where is the church?
Dear Pastor: Where Are You?
If you’re a Virginia pastor and you haven’t preached on HJ1 or SB137, let me ask you directly: Why not?
Your congregation sits in the pews right now wondering why you remain silent while their state enshrines child sacrifice and criminalizes those who try to stop it. They hear the bad news. They feel helpless.
And you’re not equipping them to fight?
This isn’t political. This is Proverbs 31:8-9: “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.” This is Psalm 139:13-14: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” This is Exodus 23:7: “Do not put an innocent person to death.”
When Scripture commands us to defend the innocent and Virginia law criminalizes doing so, your job is to equip your people for civil disobedience rooted in biblical obedience.
As I wrote in my series on The Pulpit Is Responsible, pastoral silence is not neutrality. It’s complicity.
Fortunately, there’s still time to act. Here’s what you can do right now.
What You Can Do RIGHT NOW
Here’s the good news: SB137 just passed committee. It hasn’t passed the full Senate or the House yet. This is a fight you can win if you engage NOW.
First, contact your state senator immediately.
Find your senator: https://whosmy.virginiageneralassembly.gov/
Call their office. Email them. Say this:
“I am your constituent and a Christian who believes every life is sacred. SB137 criminalizes peaceful, prayerful pro-life speech on public sidewalks. The 8-foot bubble zone makes it impossible to offer women alternatives to abortion. This violates the First Amendment and forces Christians to choose between obeying God or obeying the state. Vote NO on SB137.”
Second, demand your pastor address this from the pulpit.
Email this article to your pastor. Ask him to preach on it this Sunday. If he refuses, ask him why defending the unborn isn’t worth his prophetic voice.
Third, mobilize your church.
Print copies of this article. Share it on social media. Host a prayer meeting focused on Virginia’s legislative session. Organize your small group to contact legislators together.
Fourth, support pregnancy centers and sidewalk counselors.
These ministries are on the frontlines. When SB137 passes, they face criminal prosecution for offering hope. Support them financially. Volunteer. Pray for them by name. For Virginia resources, see our comprehensive Sanctity of Life articles.
Finally, prepare for civil disobedience.
When SB137 becomes law, Virginia Christians will face a choice: obey God or obey the state. Acts 5:29 is clear: “We must obey God rather than human beings.” Start thinking now about what faithful resistance looks like. Connect with legal defense organizations like Alliance Defending Freedom and Thomas More Society who defend pro-life speech.
But beyond tactics, understand the deeper reality: This is spiritual warfare.
This Is Spiritual Warfare
Ephesians 6:12 reminds us: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
This isn’t Democrats vs. Republicans. This is the enemy’s coordinated effort to silence the church, destroy innocent life, and criminalize biblical obedience.
Yet we serve the God who laughs at earthly rulers (Psalm 2:4), who works all things for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28), and whose kingdom will never end (Revelation 11:15).
You are not helpless. You are equipped by the Holy Spirit, grounded in Scripture, and called to this moment.
The question is not whether Virginia will become hostile to pro-life witness. The question is whether you will stand when it does.
Pick up the phone. Email your senator. Confront your pastor. Mobilize your church.
This is a fight you can win—but only if you show up.
For more on Virginia’s coordinated assault on life and liberty, read Virginia’s Perfect Storm: How One-Party Rule Threatens Life, Liberty, and Law Enforcement.
________________________________________
Category: Sanctity of Life
Stay informed on issues impacting faith and freedom. Subscribe to VCA’s weekly newsletter for biblical perspectives on current events.
Newsletter signup: https://vachristian.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=c2953cc3b40aaa7272f30fc43&id=b9e0b50154
Jeff Bayard is Content Manager at Virginia Christian Alliance, where he champions biblical values and constitutional principles. Read more from Jeff at https://vachristian.org/author/jbayard/
