Texas Towns Are Creating Pro-Life Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn
Jose Nino
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The Texan reports that pro-life activists in Gilmer and Abilene are pushing their city councils to pass ordinances that would establish a “sanctuary city for the unborn”, thus banning abortion in the city limits.
These “sanctuaries” for the unborn are sprouting all across the Lone Star State.
A resident of Abilene, Charles Byrn, led the push to get the city council to pass a pro-life sanctuary in his town.
Byrn told the council “I think we need to be a shining city for the state of Texas and end abortion.”
He added, “The next step is to get it on the agenda and pass it.”
The Texan reached out to Mayor Tim Marshall of Gilmer, a small town in East Texas.
Marshall told The Texan that he was not hostile to the idea of a pro-life sanctuary, but did not want to establish one based on a “knee-jerk” reaction.
The Mayor claimed that the council would have to listen to what the citizens of Gilmer have to say on the matter.
Mark Lee Dickson, the director of East Texas Right to Life, expressed his concern at a city council meeting in Gilmer.
Dickson has prior experience in successfully leading the passage of a pro-life resolution in Waskom.
In June, the Waskom city council voted unanimously to declare the town a pro-life sanctuary. This town was the first in the Lone Star State to pass such an ordinance.
Mayor Christopher Perricone of Mineral Wells brought forward a similar resolution to his city council. However, The Texan reports that “the council blocked a vote to move forward with a formal discussion of the resolution in a 5-2 decision.”
The council members who opposed the measure said that they wanted the city to avoid having to face a lawsuit.
The Mineral Wells Chamber of Commerce also chimed in on the sanctuary.
They were opposed to the ordinance because they believed that it would not attract businesses to the city.
On the other hand, the Waskom Chamber of Commerce told The Texan that they were not aware of any businesses that threatened to leave their town after their pro-life sanctuary policy passed in June.
Pro-life advocates are playing it safe by establishing these sanctuaries.
The Texan reports that “Byrn told the city council he was concerned about a $9 million grant that Planned Parenthood received to open two abortion clinics in West Texas. He said that Abilene is one of the potential cities the organization is considering.”
This latest push to establish pro-life sanctuaries is another case of grassroots activists taking matters into their own hands.
After a disappointing legislative session for conservatives in Texas, grassroots activists to become creative in their strategies to pass conservative legislation.
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