This article is part of a series on Texas sanctuary cities for the unborn. Read the rest, here.

Another West Texas town has voted to outlaw abortion within its borders. The March 12th vote at the Whiteface city council meeting was three for outlawing abortion and two against. Whiteface, Texas became the 13th city in the nation to outlaw abortion and the very first city to outlaw abortion since the lawsuit from the ACLU was filed against other cities in taking the same stand.

The ordinance responsible for the decision prevents surgical and medical abortions from being performed within the city limits. The city of Whiteface—population 449—although small in size, has spoken in a clear voice about the nature of its residents’ beliefs.

When asked why she wanted to see abortion outlawed in her community, Mayor Judy Deavours said,

“Because, Whiteface, Texas is a mostly-Christian community and the majority of the people do not support abortions. Doing this now would prevent outside people from trying to implement abortion clinics in our community.”

Alderman Deliah Ann Kern agreed with the mayor, stating,

“Whiteface, Texas is a Christian city. We need to protect the children of our town; both the born and unborn. We need to speak loudest and stand up for the rights of those that cannot defend themselves from attack.” 

Mayor Deavours shared about why she believed that it was important for municipal leaders to stand up against the expansion of the abortion industry at the local level:

“As a local government we need to speak out before our freedom of speech could be taken away from citizens. If we do not speak up for the children someone else will and it may not be for the benefit of the child.”

Alderman Kern seconded, stating,

“Large organizations have the financial resources and influence to take over areas that are not vigilant before the residents even realize what has happened. Local leaders need to be proactive in protecting their towns in order to maintain the type of community the residents have trusted them with. It is the duty of our local representatives to be aware and act accordingly in order to safeguard the most vulnerable in our towns.” 

Right to Life East Texas director Mark Lee Dickson, who assisted Whiteface in outlawing abortion, gave a statement to CRIT-LARGE stating:

“In a 3-2 decision, the majority of the city council of Whiteface, Texas made the God-honoring decision that unborn children would not be murdered by abortion in Whiteface, Texas. If the abortion industry attempts to kill any unborn child in Whiteface, because of this ordinance, there will be both future and immediate consequences for the innocent blood which was shed.” 

The work in Whiteface, Texas started as a result of Levelland, Texas resident Kati Morris. Morris had first heard about abortion being outlawed in Waskom, Texas from a Facebook post by Reverend Franklin Graham on June 20th, 2019 where he praised Waskom and encouraged other cities to follow in its footsteps. Morris says she connected with Mark Lee Dickson on Facebook and, after many months, attended an interest meeting in January 2020 with residents from throughout Cochran county.

When asked why she was personally against abortion, Morris said,

“Because at 18 I made the decision to have an abortion and it haunted me for 17 years. I don’t want to see others have to walk through the same hell.”

Morris went on to share why she specifically did not want to see an abortion clinic in Whiteface:

“It would change the culture of Whiteface. It would become a destination hub for hopelessness, fear, and regret.”

Thankfully, because of the action from the city council on Thursday night, Whiteface is safe from the expansion of the abortion industry. Dickson went on to state,

“The Supreme Court never said abortion had to be offered in every city and in every county in the United States of America. What the Supreme Court did say was that restrictions on abortion only violate the Constitution when they impose an ‘undue burden’ on a pregnant, abortion-minded mother. Since there are no abortion facilities within the city of Whiteface at this time, outlawing abortion within the city limits of Whiteface does not create an ‘undue burden’ for [those] mothers.”

While it is true the “Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn” ordinances do challenge Supreme Court decisions (like Roe v. Wade, Planned Parenthood v. Casey, and Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt), the ordinances themselves are not inconsistent with state law. Dickson and associates claim the ordinances do not violate any state or federal laws, but work within current abortion jurisprudence, going as far as the local government code allows.

In Whiteface, the local government code reads, “The municipality may adopt an ordinance, act, law, or regulation, not inconsistent with state law, that is necessary for the government, interest, welfare, or good order of the municipality as a body-politic.”

After the passing of the ordinance, Alderman Kern said,

“It is important that not only the adults but the children of your community see that you are willing to make the hard, unpopular decisions as well as the day-to-day decisions that keep your town running. It is important that they see you choose to stand up and protect the cities’ right to say, “No! We will not let you kill children in our town!” 

More cities are planning on addressing the “Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn” ordinance including Whiteface’s neighboring city of Morton. Efforts by residents are also underway in Levelland, Bonham, and Canton, Texas. 

For more information about the Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn Initiative visit www.sanctuarycitiesfortheunborn.com. Continue to follow the Texas pro-life fight in our CRIT-LARGE series, Texas: Sanctuary for the Unborn.