University of Virginia Library

Weekly Disrespectful

In the last few months the
Virginia Weekly has shown an
ever-increasing disrespect for the
law and the courts of the
Commonwealth of Virginia. It
began by publishing an illegal
advertisement, broke the same law
again after some of their staff were
arrested for the first breach,
distributed the issue in which the
second breach of the statute
appeared at the courtroom door
during the trial of their editors for
the first breach, and, this fall,
committed yet a third breach.
Before this, of course, they had
been expelled from the courtrooms
of the locality on several occasions.

Now, it is my conviction that
the law and the courts are one of
the major barriers set between
mankind and both savagery and
tyranny; I consider that to lessen
respect for the law by providing a
bad example of disrespect is to
invite lasting social damage.
Inasmuch as I consider myself a
social being with responsibilities to
my fellows and to the society in
which I live, I cannot stand by and
let such behavior as the recent
conduct of the Virginia Weekly pass
undealt with; inasmuch as I can do
something about it, my conscience
requires that I take action.

The fact that the statute in
question has to do with the
outlawing of abortion
advertisements does not influence
me in this matter (although in point
of fact I see no justification for it
except to save the mother's life); all
of the law is equally to be obeyed
and enforced.

For this reason, I am submitting
a petition to the Board of Visitors
at their meeting on September 29.