FFLC Sues Richmond Over Abortion Facility Sale
Today, the Founding Freedoms Law Center filed a lawsuit against the City of Richmond to challenge its unlawful action to “sell” a $1.25 million public property to abortion giant Planned Parenthood for a mere $10. The move gives Planned Parenthood its third abortion facility inside of Richmond and would make it the 6th abortion facility within the City. After officials ignored our Letter to the City advising it not to go forward with the sale because it would violate the law, as well as the pleas of dozens of citizens who spoke out prior to the Council’s vote, the City left us with no other option but to contest their egregious action in court.
Our attorneys filed a Complaint in Richmond Circuit Court on behalf of Sheila M Furey, MD, PC, a local psychiatry practice run by Dr. Sheila Furey, which specializes in providing educational brain training services to children and adults with autism, brain injuries, and dyslexia. Her practice has been successful in assisting formerly nonverbal autistic children to speak, and there is an increasing need for her services in the Richmond area. Dr. Furey testified at the June 22 City Council meeting in opposition to the $10 sale. But instead of allowing Dr. Furey’s medical practice a fair opportunity to bid on the property – as it was required to do – the City made a sweetheart deal with abortion-industry giant Planned Parenthood to give it away for essentially nothing.
According to Dr. Sheila Furey, “The City should not have squandered over a million dollars in funding that it could have used for critical services for Richmond residents, like improving our schools or providing real medical services to children in need. Their actions denied my practice and other worthy businesses the opportunity to acquire that property and use it to provide our neighbors with services they actually want and need.”
According to Josh Hetzler, Legal Counsel for FFLC, “It’s clear that Richmond City has ignored state law and its own City ordinances in order to give a sweetheart deal to the billion dollar abortion industry. We earnestly warned the City against taking this action without following its required procedures, but they responded by essentially thumbing their noses at the citizens of Richmond, and now we have no other option but to take them to court to hold City leaders accountable.”
Because of what’s at stake – the needless killing of more innocent babies in our capital city – and because of the brazen way in which the City flouted the law at every turn to give away valuable tax-payer property to the abortion industry, we felt compelled to take legal action to hold the City accountable and hopefully reverse its action.
Click HERE to view our full press conference outside the Richmond Circuit Court.
FFLC Attorney, Josh Hetzler, stands outside of Richmond Circuit Court with plaintiff, Dr. Sheila Furey, after filing their lawsuit against the City of Richmond.