by Steven Ertelt | Richmond, VA | LifeNews.com | 12/30/13 12:13 PM

When it comes to putting their money where their mouth is, pro-life people have stepped up in the state of Virginia, where pro-life license plates outsell pro-abortion plates by more than a 3-1 margin.

According to a local newspaper report:

The abortion-rights “Trust Women/Respect Choice” plate, for instance, is on about 1,600 vehicles. And roughly 5,400 cars display the anti-abortion counterpart message, “Choose Life.”

“My theory on this is, people want to feel like they’re doing something, that they’re not happy with the status quo,” said David Donis of Norfolk, a past Hampton Roads tea party chairman.

Choosing a symbolic license plate, he said, “is an easy way for them to express their sentiments.”

Overall, as LifeNews has reported, Choose Life license plates on the roads in a couple dozen stateshave raised $19 million for adoption efforts and pregnancy centers that give women abortion alternatives.

Although pro-choice organizations have fought to keep them off the road, as of now 29 states give drivers the option to ‘Choose Life’ on their license plates.

Russell Amerling, the National Publicity Coordinator for Choose Life America, realizes the vast potential of having pro-life license plates on our nation’s highways as an inexpensive way to promote a culture of life. He once spoke with a billboard salesman about the significance of miniature advertisements on the road, especially considering the costly expense of renting billboard space. Amerling shared some of their conversation with Townhall:

“An advertising executive told us once that the advertising value of having thousands of citizens driving around with that little 6” by 12” pro-life license plate on the back of their cars would be tremendous.”

And tremendous it has been. Drivers have ordered the pro-life specialty plates in droves, ordering nearly 900,000 and raising $19,101,157 nationwide since their inception in 2000, according to figures Amerling provided. Some of the proceeds, Amerling explains, have been distributed to pro-life organizations and crisis pregnancy centers.