A new zoning proposal introduced at the Lynchburg City Council work session on October 14th is sparking debate about where abortion clinics could be allowed to operate in the city.
The ordinance, brought forward by Councilman, Marty Misjuns, would restrict abortion clinics from opening within 1,000 feet of schools, daycares, parks, churches, libraries, and all residential zoning districts in Lynchburg. The city hasn’t had an abortion clinic since 2009, but this proposal could shape if and where, one might be allowed in the future.
“It’s not controversial. It’s about being proactive to facilitate harmony in our community,” Misjuns said during the council meeting. “It should never be controversial to prevent abortion clinics from being built across the street from schools or next to churches.”
Under the ordinance, abortion clinics would also be categorized separately from other medical offices or hospitals. This change would require them to obtain a special-use permit and receive City Council approval before opening.
“Abortion clinics aren’t like any other medical facility,” Misjuns said during the meeting. “They are highly controversial, often protested, and the facilities are picketed where many in our city, as do I believe, that the lives of the unborn are taken before they can start.”
However, not all council members agree with the proposal or its timing.
“We have enough issues,” Councilman, Sterling Wilder, told 10 News. “If we can work on reducing crime, on our budget, on city council members not arguing and fighting, it would be so much better. [Abortion clinics] have been a national situation where the Supreme Court has already ruled in.”
Wilder also raised concerns about broader community support, saying, “I want to hear more information but right now, I’m just not in favor of the ordinance. Number two, we want to bring abortion to the table but once the babies are here, what are we doing to support families? What are we doing to prevent teen pregnancies? You want to cut funding here and there, it’s a little frustrating.”
10 News reached out to Misjuns for additional comment but has not yet received a response.
The ordinance must first be reviewed by the city’s Planning Commission, after which Lynchburg residents will have a chance to weigh in during a public hearing before any final vote by City Council. The next council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 28, but leaders say the proposal may need more time for review and may not be brought back up until the November meeting.
“So many issues we’re fighting about, let’s not pick one that’s so debatable,” Wilder said. “Let’s try to find something we can get along with and work together on like education for our kids and school funding. Let’s work on things that we can agree upon.”