Impact, Nazareth, and Cisco are the most recent additions to the Texas Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn movement. In September, Impact passed an enforceable ordinance banning abortion within the city limits. On October 5, Nazareth followed suit, and on October 12, Cisco joined the movement with the city council voting 5-0 in favor of the ordinance.
Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn are communities that pass an ordinance outlawing abortion at all stages of prenatal development, thus the law seeks to protect Life from conception. The ban is immediately enforceable through a civil mechanism by which any private citizen can sue an abortionist and anyone besides the mother for violating the law if they aid or abet an elective abortion.
Impact is the smallest of the Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn so far with a population of less than 100. On September 11, the city council approved the Pro-Life ordinance with a vote of 3-0. Located outside Abilene, Impact is in Taylor County.
On the morning of October 5, the City Council of Nazareth voted to adopt the ordinance. The Panhandle town has a population of about 300.
Last week, Cisco also voted to become a Sanctuary City for the Unborn with a city council vote of 5-0 with one councilmember abstaining.
Support from the community was immense, and residents packed the city council chamber. Councilman Travis Toof said, “I am proud to be part of a great community who is willing to stand up for the right to life. The overwhelming support from our community to speak for and support this cause is truly a blessing.”
Ruth York, a Cisco resident who was instrumental in moving the ordinance forward, stated, “Recently our State passed the Texas Heartbeat Law, which protects babies with a detectable heartbeat from being aborted in the State of Texas. As thankful as I am for this law, which is saving lives across our State, it is not enough. We must do what is necessary to protect life in our communities from the point of conception.” She added, “It is good to see the City of Cisco take a bold step forward to protect life and the next generation. Like the Texas Heartbeat Act, the Cisco Ordinance Outlawing Abortion is another step in doing what is necessary to honor life and protect our children.”
Cisco resident Kara Daleen, who is currently pregnant with twins, said, “As an expectant mom, I feel blessed and very proud to be a part of a community that values and defends them in such a way as to become a Sanctuary City.”
With the Texas Heartbeat Act and ordinances outlawing abortion at the local level, abortion activists continue to claim that Pro-Life laws “harm” mothers. This is simply not true. Pro-Life communities across Texas have prioritized mothers’ health and built a network of pregnancy resource centers that ensure mothers who choose Life will have resources and community support for their families. This fact was particularly noticeable in Cisco, which hosted a banquet benefitting The Open Door Pregnancy & Faith Resource Center the same night the Pro-Life ordinance was passed.
The Open Door is located in Cisco and Breckenridge and serves thousands of clients annually. Many Cisco residents went from the city council chambers to the banquet where news of the passage of the Sanctuary City for the Unborn ordinance was met with cheers. This is a community that clearly values and supports Life.
Some commentators have focused on the small size of some of the towns passing the ordinance, suggesting that the movement is fringe. However, earlier this year, residents of Lubbock, Texas, a city of 264,000 voted to become a Sanctuary City for the Unborn after the city council repeatedly refused to pass the Pro-Life ordinance.
The abortion industry will continue to misrepresent the Pro-Life movement and make spurious legal challenges, but Pro-Life Texans are committed to protecting Life at every stage beginning in their own backyard.