Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this guest post are solely those of the guest author.
On Monday, August 11th, the City Council of Talco, Texas (pop. 494), passed an “Ordinance Outlawing Abortion, declaring Talco a Sanctuary City for the Unborn” in a vote of 2-0-1: 2 for, 0 against, and 1 abstaining.
The vote made the City of Talco, located on United States Hwy 271 between the cities of Bogota (pop. 1,153) and Mount Pleasant (pop. 16,275), the 62nd city in the State of Texas and the 79th city in the nation to pass an ordinance banning abortion.
“This ordinance is about life”
While the ordinance was on the agenda for a vote at their council meeting on July 14, where they heard a presentation from Right to Life Across Texas regarding the measure, the council chose to table the measure until their next council meeting on July 14, 2025, in order that their entire council could make a more informed vote.
Prior to the vote, City Commissioner Michael Mars shared:
People seem to know us most for our fireworks show every July 4th, and that’s Independence Day, when we remember the signing of the Declaration of Independence. For the last month, I’ve thought about the most well-known words from the Declaration of Independence: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Since I’ve been on the City Council, I’ve had a goal to make decisions that I believe will improve the quality of life as best as I can for the people who live here in our community… But without life, there can’t be liberty or the pursuit of happiness. There can’t be quality of life without life itself.
Now we have this ordinance that’s been brought before us. I didn’t ask for it personally, but here it is. And I’ve been placed in a position where I have to make a choice. I have to make a decision about it in front of you all and most importantly in front of my Creator, who gave me life.
And if this ordinance will help to keep someone from making a tragic decision they will regret for the rest of their lives, or gives someone the ability to seek justice when their child has been exploited by some organization or some clinic from some other state, then, to me, this ordinance is about life. So I’m going to choose life and I pray that the Good Lord will help us continue to work to improve the quality of life for people of all ages who live here.
After Commissioner Mars shared, everyone looked to City Commissioner Cindy Watts to see where she was going to stand on the measure. Commissioner Watts shared, “I believe God is the one who makes the decision to give life, and I want to protect the life that God gives.”
With both City Commissioner Michael Mars and City Commissioner Cindy Watts voting in favor of the measure, Mayor Shirley Caruthers chose to abstain, as her vote was not needed to break a tie.
Both of Talco’s city commissioners pose for a photo with Mark Lee Dickson (Photo: Mark Lee Dickson)
The Ordinance
The six provisions of the Talco Sanctuary City for the Unborn Ordinance: (1) prohibit performing an elective abortion and aiding or abetting elective abortions within the city limits of Talco, (2) prohibit elective abortions on residents of Talco – regardless of where the abortion takes place, (3) prohibit abortion trafficking through the City of Talco, (4) prohibit the mailing of abortion-inducing drugs into the City of Talco, (5) prohibit criminal organizations from doing business inside the city limits of Talco, and (6) prohibit through or in the City of Talco the transportation and disposal of the remains of unborn children who have been killed by an elective abortion across state lines and carried into Texas by waste management companies.
The Talco Sanctuary City for the Unborn Ordinance is enforced in the same manner as the Texas Heartbeat Act — through a private enforcement mechanism. The ordinance reads, “Any person, other than the city of Talco, and any officer or employee of the city, has standing to bring and may bring a civil action against any person or entity that: violates any provision” of this ordinance.
The Talco Sanctuary City for the Unborn Ordinance also educates about the state-funded Thriving Texas Families Program and the services provided through pregnancy care providers partnered with the Texas Pregnancy Care Network and The Pregnancy Network. The closest pregnancy center to Talco that is a part of the program is Expectant Heart Pregnancy Center – located 17.5 miles away in Mount Pleasant, Texas.
Momentum in Texas
The City of Talco is the first city in Titus County, and the eighteenth city in the Tyler-Longview Area Region to pass a ‘Sanctuary City for the Unborn’ ordinance. Other cities in the region to have passed such ordinances include: Athens (pop. 13,503), Lindale (pop. 6,923), Rusk (5,664), Gilmer (pop. 5,216), Hooks (pop. 2,769), Waskom (pop. 2,190), Naples (pop. 1,378), Big Sandy (pop. 1,343), Omaha (pop. 1,021), East Mountain (pop. 899), Wells (pop. 853), Como (pop. 758), Murchison (pop. 606), Avinger (pop. 444), Gary (pop. 335), Poynor (pop. 314), and Douglassville (pop. 228). The only city in the region, and the entire state, to have recanted their ordinance is the City of Omaha – who recanted their ordinance after receiving an open records request from the ACLU of Texas in 2019.
The City of Talco follows the City of Hooks (pop. 2,769), Shelby County (pop. 24,192), Douglassville (pop. 228), and Como (pop. 758) as the fifth political subdivision to pass a “Sanctuary for the Unborn” Ordinance during Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s first special session of the 89th Texas Legislature, where he has called the Texas Senate and House to pass legislation further protecting pregnant mothers and their unborn children from the harm of abortion.
Other Titus County cities which could consider a similar ordinance in the future include: Mount Pleasant (pop. 16,275), Winfield (pop. 422), and Miller’s Cove (pop. 125). Titus County (pop. 31,357) could also consider a similar ordinance addressing the unincorporated area of the county.
Citizens who wish to see their city or county pass a similar ordinance further outlawing abortion in their community, regardless of what state they live in, are encouraged to sign the online petition.
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