“We, as a community, wanted to be a voice for the voiceless.” Mayor Mitchell Woody said this as his city, Grapeland, Texas, became the 18th city to pass a “Sanctuary City for the Unborn” ordinance. As of Monday January 25th, 2021, abortion was outlawed within the city limits of Grapeland.

Mayor Woody said the following regarding the ordinance and the pro-life movement:

“It is considered murder to kill someone who has a heartbeat, DNA, fingerprints, and the ability to dream. A human fetus has all these things too. So why is abortion not considered murder? We have taken a stance today to say abortion is murder and our city will not allow it within our city limits.”

Woody’s comments illustrate the common sense of the pro-life position:

1) Killing innocent humans is morally wrong

2) Abortion kills innocent humans.

3) Therefore, abortion is morally wrong.

The Grapeland city council meeting was largely successful regarding the ordinance. The vote was four in favor, none against, and one abstention. None of the councilmen nor citizens of Grapeland spoke against the ordinance.

Rubi Hernandez, the Executive Director for Living Alternatives Pregnancy Center in Palestine and Crocket, Texas was in full support of the City of Grapeland becoming the 18th city to join the Sanctuary City for the Unborn Initiative. “We at Living Alternatives of Palestine and Crockett are honored that the people of Grapeland not only value life but desire to refer women to us as a resource for women in crisis.” Hernandez continued, “Our desire is to offer positive solutions to issues surrounding unplanned pregnancy while changing and saving lives in Jesus' name! We desire to share God's grace in extending compassionate care for women in crisis and help provide basic needs they may have through our free services that include pregnancy testing, ultrasounds, pregnancy and parenting classes and baby supplies."

The Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn movement, spearheaded by Mark Lee Dickson, a Director with Right To Life of East Texas, seeks to capitalize upon Texas towns’ ability to enact ordinances which regulate or prohibit abortion. This power was reaffirmed in Texas Senate Bill 22. The Grapeland council wasted no time in passing the ordinance. The ordinance was first presented to the council on January 15th, 2021. A mere ten days later, the unborn were protected within the city.

The ordinance has been passed in seventeen other cities, Ackerly, TX being the most recent before Grapeland. The ordinance effectively and immediately prohibits abortion within the city limits of whatever town passes it. Although the public enforcement mechanism is delayed until one of three situations take place, the private enforcement is immediately enforceable. The private enforcement mechanism grants standing for a lawsuit against the abortionist and anyone who aided and abetted the abortionist. The father, grandparents, and siblings of an unborn child killed via abortion can all sue. The only one who cannot be sued or file a lawsuit is the mother who sought the abortion.

Although “[t]he Supreme Court’s pronouncements in Roe v. Wade and subsequent cases may limit the ability of State officials to impose penalties on those who violate the Texas abortion statutes [,] they do not veto or erase the statutes themselves, which continue to exist as the law of Texas until they are repealed by the legislature that enacted them,” reads the Grapeland ordinance.

Jonathan F. Mitchell, the former Texas Solicitor General, has agreed to represent the City of Grapeland if a lawsuit happens as a result of the city having passed the Grapeland Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn ordinance. The only lawsuit which has been filed cities which have outlawed abortion was filed by the ACLU against seven of the cities located in East Texas: Waskom, Naples, Joaquin, Tenaha, Rusk, Gary City, and Wells. The lawsuit was dropped after minor wording details were changed, which did not affect the efficacy of the ordinance. To this day, abortion remains outlawed in each one of the cities which were sued. 

On the horizon, Lubbock, Texas citizens have the opportunity to vote on the ordinance come May 1st, 2021. The ordinance was pushed to referendum after a petition signed by over 5,000 Lubbock citizens forced the city council to consider it. After the city council unanimously voted down the ordinance, those who started the petition, in accordance with the Lubbock City Charter, called for a referendum so that the citizens could decide if babies will be allowed to be murdered within the city limits.

Currently, a new Planned Parenthood is open in Lubbock. At the time of this writing, Planned Parenthood has not started aborting babies. If the ordinance passes AND if abortions are taking place by the time of vote, Lubbock will be the first city with an active abortion provider to prohibit abortion.