Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this guest post are solely those of the guest author.
On Tuesday, November 5, Amarillo residents will cast their final votes on Proposition A – a local ordinance that would protect unborn children by further prohibiting abortion and abortion trafficking. While many Amarillo residents have already chosen to cast their votes for or against the measure during early voting, many remain undecided of how they will be voting on the historic measure.
The pro-life measure was brought to Amarillo by Jana May, a resident of Amarillo who wanted to see her city pass an ordinance to become a Sanctuary City for the Unborn. The pro-life measure has received much support from pro-life leaders across the state and the nation.
Photo courtesy of Mark Lee Dickson
Live Action Founder and CEO Lila Rose posted on X, “To my friends in Amarillo, TX – On election day vote FOR Prop A, the ‘Sanctuary City for the Unborn’ Ordinance! Prop A would protect children from abortion and stop abortion trafficking across state lines. One of the only life PROTECTING questions before voters this year!”
To my friends in Amarillo, TX — On election day vote FOR Proposition A, the “Sanctuary City for the Unborn” ordinance!
Prop A would protect children from abortion and stop abortion trafficking across state lines.
One of the only life PROTECTING questions before voters this…
— Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) October 29, 2024
Both Live Action Victory’s 2024 Voter Guide and Texas Right To Life’s Texas Pro-Life 2024 Voter Guide encourage Amarillo voters to vote in favor of Prop A. If a majority of voters cast their ballot FOR Prop A, Amarillo will become the 53rd city in Texas and the 70th city in the nation to pass a Sanctuary City for the Unborn Ordinance. Amarillo would also become the sixth pro-life ballot victory in Texas since the initiative began, following victories in Lubbock (May 2021) and Abilene, San Angelo, Plainview, and Athens (November 2022) and first local pro-life ballot victory during a presidential election.
If a majority votes AGAINST Prop A, Amarillo will become the first city in Texas where voters have rejected an anti-abortion ordinance on a citywide ballot.
Amarillo’s ballot measure would close six major loopholes in Texas anti-abortion laws. The ordinance would: (1) Prohibit performing elective abortions and aiding or abetting elective abortions under local law by extending the private enforcement mechanism found in the Texas Heartbeat Act to the point of conception; (2) Prohibit elective abortions on residents of Amarillo, and the abortion trafficking of such residents, outside Texas; (3) Prohibit the abortion trafficking of an unborn child through Amarillo; (4) Prohibit abortion-inducing drugs from being manufactured, possessed, distributed, mailed, transported, delivered, or provided in any manner to or from any person or location in Amarillo; (5) Prohibit criminal organizations who are violating federal laws prohibiting the mailing and receiving of abortion-inducing drugs and abortion paraphernalia from doing business in Amarillo; and (6) Prohibit the transportation and disposal of the remains of unborn children killed by elective abortions.
The sixth prohibition has garnered much attention in the community, especially due to local business Biocycle/Oncore Technology LLC having a reputation for picking up aborted human remains from Planned Parenthood Surgical Centers across America.
Former Texas Senator Wendy Davis, who now serves as Senior Advisor to Planned Parenthood Texas Votes, has been one of the outspoken voices against Prop A. Davis held a fundraiser on October 23 for Amarillo Freedom PAC, where she claimed that the proposition “seeks to literally constrain people’s ability to travel on public roads.”
Texas Right To Life President Dr. John Seago called out Davis and Amarillo Freedom PAC for these statements, noting, “Despite the fact that her statements are clearly false, the Amarillo Freedom PAC shared the video on social media and continues to circulate it to promote their misleading ‘Travel Ban’ narrative.” To combat the misinformation spread by pro-abortion groups, Dr. John Seago and other pro-life leaders have recorded videos refuting the misinformation. Those videos are being shared on a daily basis on the Project Destiny Amarillo Facebook page.
Davis sees the race in Amarillo as a significant battle for abortion rights in Texas. Davis shared, “If Amarillo, through the work of ARFA (Amarillo Reproductive Freedom Alliance), is able to defeat Proposition A it will send a strong message to other cities across the state and, of course, statewide leaders – that this is not something that will be accepted or tolerated.”
Several national news outlets across America are paying close attention to the outcome of this measure. Ballotpedia News listed Amarillo’s Proposition A and San Francisco’s Proposition O as #4 on their “top 15 ballot measures and trends to watch on election day.” National Review stated Prop A “has important policy implications in the Lone Star State.” The New Yorker called Prop A “part of a bigger strategic play,” and NOTUS recognized Amarillo could very well be “the most consequential abortion fight of this election cycle.”
