'Nightmare for parents': Virginia school board accused of evading abortion trafficking allegations
A Virginia school board meeting this week reportedly devoted little time to addressing the allegations that school officials arranged and paid for pregnant students' abortions without parental consent, despite pointed comments from community members. The Fairfax County School Board meeting on Thursday took place after an independent journalist's report, released earlier this month, sparked outrage on social media and prompted the school district to launch an investigation into the matter.
"School does not exist to take guardianship over our children," Fairfax County resident, teacher and coach named Rosie Kostka said during the board meeting.
"A Virginia state law says I cannot give my Fairfax County high school athletes Tylenol for a headache, yet these girls were brought to surgery without their parents knowing. This is a nightmare for parents — their children taken to operations in secret by a school that they entrusted their kids to."
According to the Aug. 5 report from independent journalist Walter Curt, officials at Centreville High School, including social worker Carolina Diaz, arranged for two minor students to have abortions in 2021 at Fairfax Healthcare Center without informing their parents.
One of the girls who was five months pregnant reportedly expressed a desire to keep her baby, but Diaz allegedly told the minor that she "had no choice." The girl later fled the abortion facility, according to the report. Both girls claim that the abortions, which Principal Chad Lehman allegedly approved, were financed through school funds.
Under Virginia state law, a physician is required to certify in writing that at least one parent has been notified before performing an abortion on a minor, unless a judicial bypass is obtained.
Emily Davis, a Virginia high school mom and the vice president of communications for the pro-life advocacy organization Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, accused the school board of failing to address the allegations during the meeting.
"How many other parents have been left in the dark while schools shuttle their daughters to abortion facilities? Are our daughters safe?" Davis asked in a statement provided to The Christian Post. "This situation demands transparency, but instead, the Fairfax County School system evaded answers and accountability during its school board meeting tonight."
While the board granted two speaking slots for members of the public to raise concerns about the issue, Davis asserted that this is not enough and criticized the board for not listing the accusations on its agenda.
In her speech before the board, Kostka asserted that no matter where one stands politically on abortion, the "events in Fairfax County demand our attention and action."
"The allegations are serious," she said. "We insist on clarity and strive always to place the interests of young students and families first."
The Fairfax County teacher also spoke on Thursday at the "Stop the Secret Abortions" news conference, spearheaded by the advocacy group Students for Life of America, of which Kostka is a former member. Other pro-life groups that attended and spoke at the news conference included Moms for Liberty, Concerned Women for America, the Family Foundation and Human Coalition.
Davis praised Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin for directing the Virginia State Police to open an investigation into the matter, stressing that parents must know if the abortion trafficking allegations are true.
"From Loudoun to Fairfax County, to communities across this great state, Virginia parents will not stand to have our rights stripped away," Davis declared. "This horrific scandal is breaking as Democrats push for an abortion amendment that would end parental rights for abortion entirely in Virginia."
Earlier this year, a resolution to amend the Virginia Constitution to establish a fundamental right to so-called "reproductive freedom" passed the state's General Assembly. Pro-life advocates fear that the resolution, if passed, would allow all-trimester abortions in the state and eliminate parental consent, in addition to ending health and safety protections for women and girls.