On Tuesday, January 14th, Colorado City in West Texas (population 4,149) became the ninth city in the nation to outlaw abortion by the passing of an enforceable ordinance. Colorado City follows the cities of Waskom, Naples, Joaquin, Tenaha, Gilmer, Westbrook, and Rusk.
As previously reported, the city of Omaha (population 1,021) outlawed abortion in September, but received an intimidation letter from the ACLU which caused them to walk back the ordinance to a non-enforceable resolution — one which does not protect the city from the abortion industry.
The Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn ordinance states, “a surgical or chemical abortion is the purposeful and intentional ending of a human life, and is murder “with malice aforethought” since the baby in the womb has its own DNA, and at certain points in pregnancy has its own heartbeat and its own brainwaves . . . These babies are the most innocent among us and deserve equal protection under the law as any other member of our American posterity as defined by the United States Constitution.”
READ: East Texas city with over 5,500 residents becomes eighth ‘sanctuary city for the unborn’
The ordinance goes on to say, “The Supreme Court erred in Roe v. Wade when it said that pregnant women have a constitutional right to abort their unborn children, as there is no language anywhere in the Constitution that even remotely suggests that abortion is a constitutional right . . . Roe v. Wade is a lawless and illegitimate act of judicial usurpation, which violates the Tenth Amendment by trampling the reserved powers of the States, and denies the people of each State a Republican Form of Government by imposing abortion policy through judicial decree.”
Colorado City, located in Mitchell County, voted mostly Republican in the 2016 presidential election. 81.1% voted Republican, 16.1% voted Democrat, and 2.8% voted for other candidates. During the 2018 Republican Party Primary, proposition #7 gave voters the chance to state whether they were “in favor” or “against” the statement, ” I believe abortion should be abolished in Texas.” In Mitchell County, out of 872 votes, 659 voted in favor of the idea of abolishing abortion in the state of Texas and 213 voted against it. The City Council for Colorado City honored the beliefs of their residents and voted with and not against these numbers, outlawing abortion in a 5-1 vote.
The expertly crafted Colorado City Ordinance works within the existing legal framework of abortion jurisprudence while effectively prohibiting any abortion facility or services from being provided within the city limits of Colorado City. In addition to this, the ordinance also outlaws the sale and distribution of emergency contraception.
The ordinance reads, “It shall be unlawful for any person or entity which physically resides within the jurisdiction of the City to sell, distribute, or otherwise provide emergency contraception.” Emergency contraception is defined in the ordinance as, “any chemical or substance which is manufactured for the express purpose of use after unprotected sexual intercourse and which may function as an abortifacient to end the life of an unborn child by preventing implantation of the zygote in the uterine lining. This definition includes Ella, Plan B, Next Choice One Dose, and My Way.”
READ: Many women think emergency contraception can cause abortions. They’re right.
Colorado City is the seventh city to outlaw emergency contraception. Other cities which passed an ordinance outlawing the sale and distribution of emergency contraception includes the cities of Waskom, Omaha, Naples, Joaquin, Tenaha, and Westbrook. Colorado City is now the largest city to outlaw the sale of emergency contraception, surpassing the population of Waskom by over 2,000 residents.
Also noted previously at Live Action News, the neighboring city of Big Spring voted on a version of the ordinance that did not ban emergency contraception. The city of Big Spring voted on the ordinance with a vote of three in favor, two against, one abstaining, with one member absent. Since the City of Big Spring requires a two part vote on all ordinances, the Sanctuary City for the Unborn ordinance will have to pass a second vote at the next meeting in order for abortion to be outlawed and for Big Spring to become a Sanctuary City for the Unborn.
As Rebecca Parma, a Legislative and Political Associate with Texas Right To Life, explained, “If cities that do not currently house an abortion facility take action now, they can immediately prevent abortion businesses from moving into their cities and committing abortions, using the fear of future prosecution against abortionists once Roe v. Wade is overturned.”
Other cities discussing the Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn Ordinance this month include the East Texas city of Gary and the West Texas city of Abilene. Work is also currently underway in the cities of Carthage and Lindale.
The Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn movement is not dying anytime soon. For more information about the Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn initiative visit www.
Mark Lee Dickson is a Director with Right to Life of East Texas, a Pastor of SovereignLOVE Church in Longview, Texas, and the founder of the Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn initiative.
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