A judge has rejected a request to suspend the sale of a city-owned property to the Virginia League of Planned Parenthood for just $10.
Dr. Sheila M. Furey, a Chesterfield County psychiatrist who offers “educational brain training services to children and adults with autism, brain injuries, and dyslexia,” said she was denied the opportunity to bid on the property in Richmond, Virginia. Attorneys from The Family Foundation who are representing Furey argue that city officials failed to “issue or publish any invitation for bids or request for proposals” of the property, in violation of city code.
Instead, on July 22, Richmond City Council members unanimously approved the sale of the property to Planned Parenthood to build its third facility in the city for just $10.
The Family Foundation’s Founding Freedoms Law Center spokesperson Victoria Cobb called the deal between Planned Parenthood and the City of Richmond sale a “sweetheart deal” that came at the expense of the legitimate health care practices of doctors like Furey and the people of Richmond.
According to Cobb, the $10 sale cost Richmond “over a million dollars” in real estate revenue. The 6,500-square-foot property is a former school, and is assessed at $1.2 million.
According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the abortion giant plans to build a 10,000-square-foot, $10 million facility on the property.
Attorneys for Furey sought to block the sale through a restraining order, but on Friday, Richmond Circuit Court Judge Tracy W.J. Throne-Begland denied that request, which allowed the construction of the new Planned Parenthood to continue.
Mayor Levar Stoney said he was “pleased to see the judge side with the City of Richmond.” He added that the location on the city’s North Side is a “health care desert” and that Planned Parenthood — which primarily commits abortions — will “meet Richmonders right where they are.”
“We will continue to move with this project and look forward to delivering a new clinic in Richmond,” he said.
In July, Richmond passed a city resolution in support of abortion.
“Access to affordable, quality health care, including reproductive services, is essential to the well-being of our residents,” said Stoney in a press release at the time. “I am proud the City Council unanimously voted to approve this land transfer. Richmond is leading the way in the South for protecting reproductive rights and increasing access to health care.”
In April, one of the two existing Richmond Planned Parenthood facilities (on North Hamilton) had to call 911 for a woman who suffered a possible uterine perforation during an abortion. The facility requested an ambulance with no lights or sirens in order to try to hide the injury from the public eye.
According to a report about the incident, “Previously, this facility was found to have a number of health code violations, where inspections discovered filth, botched abortions, and failures in the areas of quality management.”
