Four Texas cities and six villages in Nebraska voted on Election Day on ballot measures that would outlaw abortion within their jurisdictions.
Of the 10 ballot measures, only one was rejected by voters, reported Mark Lee Dickson, founder of the Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn Initiative, at Live Action News.
Dickson, who is also director of Right to Life of East Texas, announced the following cities approved an ordinance that outlaws abortion within their limits:
- Athens, Texas (population 13,121)
- Abilene, Texas (population 124,407)
- Arnold, Nebraska (population 597)
- Paxton, Nebraska (population 523)
- Brady, Nebraska (population 428)
- Hershey, Nebraska (population 665)
- Wallace, Nebraska (population 366)
- San Angelo, Texas (population 101,612)
- Plainview, Texas (population 22,343)
The ballot measure failed in the city of Curtis, Nebraska (population 939), where abortion remains legal.
“The majority of cities in America are populated with citizens who don’t want abortion in their communities,” Dickson said in comments to The Star News Network. “The nine victories in Texas and Nebraska are a great testimony to this reality.”
In his report, Dickson explained the special significance of the vote to outlaw abortion in Abilene, Texas, the birthplace of Sarah Weddington – the attorney, now deceased, who represented Norma McCorvey, aka Jane Roe, in the case of Roe v. Wade (1973), in which the U.S. Supreme Court created a right to abortion when none existed in the Constitution.
The Election Day victories came one day after the city of Hobbs, New Mexico (population 41,604) adopted a “sanctuary city for the unborn” ordinance, making it the first in that state to outlaw abortion within its jurisdiction.
With these election victories, a total of 61 ordinances in half a dozen states have been passed by the Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn Initiative since June 11, 2019. Of the cities, towns, and villages that have passed the ordinance, 48 are in in Texas; 8 are in Nebraska; 2 are in Ohio; 1 is in Louisiana; 1 in Iowa; and 1 in New Mexico.
“When men and women in small communities like Waskom (pop. 2,189) and Westbrook (pop. 312) in Texas, and Hayes Center (pop. 288) in Nebraska stand up, amazing things can happen that reach far beyond the borders of their cities,” Dickson explained further to The Star News Network. “There would be no Abilene, Athens, Plainview, and San Angelo victories had it not been for cities like Waskom and Westbrook. And there would be no Arnold, Brady, Hershey, Paxton, and Wallace victory had it not been for the village of Hayes Center. Every community must do their part to stand in the fight for life.”
The pro-life leader said the fall of Roe v. Wade via the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs “did not end abortion.”
“It merely blew the whistle for all participants to begin a race for legislation to be passed at the state and local level,” he said, adding:
Since Roe v. Wade fell, governments in favor of abortion have sought to do everything they can do to favor abortion access. Sometimes that is seen by the passage of actual state or local legislation which either prohibits or protects abortion access, while other times that is seen by non-binding resolutions at the local level which merely express the opinion of their government. Now is not the time to state our opinions, but now is the time for action. The Sanctuary City for the Unborn Initiative is intent on moving forward in assisting more cities across America, regardless of size, prohibit abortion and become sanctuary cities for the unborn.
Dickson said in “post-Roe America,” there is yet much work to be done for the pro-life cause:
There are people all over this nation in cities throughout California, New Mexico, Nebraska, Minnesota, Virginia, and Florida who do not want abortion access to become a reality within their city limits. We encourage all those who want to see abortion outlawed within their communities, regardless of their state, to be sure to sign our online petition and let us know their interest.
“The abortion industry is not an industry which needs to be protected, the abortion industry is an industry which needs to be abolished,” Dickson asserted.
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Susan Berry, PhD, is national education editor at The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Athens City Hall” by City of Athens, Texas Government.
