Another East Texas city has passed an ordinance outlawing abortion. The City of Avinger (pop. 371) passed their ordinance on Monday, becoming the 74th city in the nation to pass such a measure. The measure, which was presented by Right to Life Across Texas, was placed on the city council agenda by Mayor Jeff Patterson and passed in a 3-1 vote.
Alderwoman Kelli Spencer, Alderman Adam Young, and Alderman Marvin Parvino voted for and Alderwoman Lois Montgomery voted against. Alderwoman Margaret Ford did not attend the meeting.
The vote came after a new report was released which found that about 11% of women experience “sepsis, infection, hemorrhaging, or another adverse event within 45 days following a mifepristone abortion.”
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In a written statement to the Avinger City Council, Avinger resident Kori Peterson wrote, “Planned Parenthood and other pro-abortion forces have continued the dishonest narrative that abortion isn’t a big deal, is liberating to women, and is a right. This is grossly false. Abortion is deadly to a child, harms and causes trauma for women, and no one has a right to end human life.”
The Avinger Sanctuary City for the Unborn Ordinance states, in the second declaration, “abortion at all times and at all stages of pregnancy is an unlawful act, unless the abortion is performed to save the life of the pregnant woman in a medical emergency.” The term “Medical emergency” is defined in the ordinance to mean “a life-threatening physical condition aggravated by, caused by, or arising from a pregnancy that, as certified by a physician, places the woman in danger of death or a serious risk of substantial impairment of a major bodily function unless an abortion is performed.”
The ordinance is clear that it does not prohibit “abortions performed or induced in response to a medical emergency, or any conduct that aids or abets or attempts to aid or abet such abortions” and is also clear that it does not prohibit “conduct taken by a licensed medical professional that is necessary to perform, induce, or facilitate an abortion in response to a medical emergency, or to ensure that the licensed medical professional is prepared to perform, induce, or facilitate an abortion in response to a medical emergency, so long as that conduct is not in any way intended to facilitate an elective abortion.”
The ordinance extends the private right of action found in the Texas Heartbeat Act from the point of a detectable heartbeat to the point of conception – allowing a lawsuit to be filed against anyone in violation of the ordinance. The ordinance is clear that no action may be brought against the mother of the unborn child upon whom the abortion was performed or induced or attempted to be performed or induced in violation of the ordinance. The ordinance also prohibits the mailing of abortion-inducing drugs into Avinger, prohibits abortion trafficking through Avinger, and prohibits waste management companies from trafficking aborted babies through Avinger or disposing of dead babies anywhere within Avinger.
Upon the passage of the measure, Avinger resident and former State Representative David Simpson said, “Avinger is blessed to join cities and counties across Texas who are going as far as they can to address the tragedy of abortion, specifically abortion trafficking and the mailing of abortion-inducing drugs.” The ordinance is part of a cultural shift which views abortion trafficking as no different as sex trafficking or drug trafficking.
Texas Right to Life estimates that there are 30,000 Texas babies aborted each year due to the mailing of abortion-inducing drugs into the state and the abortion trafficking of pregnant mothers and their unborn children outside the state of Texas. The Sanctuary City for the Unborn ordinances, which have now been passed in 57 cities and 7 counties across the state, help to reduce these numbers to the best of their ability.
Part of what several cities and counties have accomplished at the local level is being attempted at the state level through bills like the Woman and Child Protection Act (TX HB 5510 / TX SB 2880) and the Stop Tax-Funded Abortion Travel Act (TX SB 33 / TX HB 1806). Those who wish to encourage the Texas legislature to prioritize the passage of such bills can do so by sending the legislature a message through contacting Texas Right to Life.
Citizens who are interested in seeing their city or county pass an ordinance going as far as their city or county can to prohibit abortion are encouraged to sign the online petition on the Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn website.
LifeNews Note: Mark Lee Dickson lives in Texas and is the founder of the Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn Initiative.
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Author: Mark Lee Dickson
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