On Tuesday, Austin Texas voted on an amendment to allocate $150,000 towards “abortion assistance.” This means that Austin will now be spending a portion of its annual budget on travel, lodging, childcare (yes, childcare), and other support for women seeking an abortion. This makes Austin the first city in the US to publicly fund abortion via logistical support.The details on the new budget can be found here.

Austin is taking its inspiration from New York City, which recently allocated $250,000 to directly fund abortion. But unlike New York City, Austin is restricted to funding abortion indirectly due to recent legislation passed in Texas. 

Steve Adler, the Mayor of Austin, had this to say about the measure:

"The City of Austin has taken action to address challenges people are facing as a result of state and federal laws that make it difficult for families seeking an abortion… This budget amendment will help ensure Austinites can make the best choices for themselves and their families…”

Listen to the language that Adler uses here. The Council not only want access to abortion, but they want the taxpayer to foot the bill. Not only can you end the life of your preborn child, but now, the city of Austin will pay for your gas to get there! On top of that, if you need someone to watch your kids while you get the abortion, they’ll cover that too. It is asinine to think about, but now it’s happening in your local community. Austin is not upholding justice, as the swordbearer should (Romans 13). In fact, they are doing just the opposite. Instead of upholding justice and protecting their citizens, they are directly funding injustice.

Greg Casar, an Austin City Council member, made a rallying call to progressives in a statement on the measure: 

“It’s really important for our progressive cities to not just be sites of resistance, but to also be places of progress, to be examples of what governance could look like if progressives ran more of our states. Every day the anti-abortion elements in Texas, in Washington, D.C., and elsewhere, wake up and think, 'How can we restrict access to abortion today?' That makes it our job, every day, to work to expand access to abortion and health care and other basic services related to abortion,"

The pro-abortion crowd is aware of pro-life and abolitionist efforts, and they are not backing down.

As mentioned in my previous article, a war for the culture is going on right now. It is not just happening in Washington, D.C. The fight is in our backyard and in our communities. With cities like Austin passing measures such as this, it is just as important to make sure cities that respect life are passing protective measures in their own communities. 

We must not sit back while the progressive crowd continues to support the murder of the most vulnerable among us.