Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this guest post are solely those of the guest author.
On Tuesday, August 12, the City Council of Annona, Texas (pop. 288), passed an “Ordinance Outlawing Abortion, declaring Annona a Sanctuary City for the Unborn” in a 3-1 vote. The vote made the City of Annona, located on U.S. Hwy 82 between the cities of Clarksville (pop. 3,285) and Avery (pop. 462), the 63rd city in the State of Texas and the 80th city in the nation to pass an ordinance banning abortion.
The City of Annona is the first in Red River County, and the 19th 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), Talco (pop. 494), 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.
“A strongly conservative county”
Red River County is a strongly conservative county in Northeast Texas, where over 80% voted for President Donald J. Trump in the 2024 presidential election. During the 2022 Republican Party Primary, Red River County voters had the opportunity to vote on Proposition #5, which stated, “Texas should enact a state constitutional amendment to defend the sanctity of innocent human life, created in the image of God, from fertilization until natural death.” An overwhelming 90.23% voted in favor of this proposition.
Red River County Republican Chairman Cebron (Jim) O’Bier shared:
It was an honor to attend the Annona City Council meeting where they voted to become a Sanctuary City for the Unborn.
The council was moved by horror of the aftermath of abortion that has surfaced in the cities and communities across Texas, and have taken a step in the right direction by protecting mothers and children for generations to come.
Annona has definitely set a precedent for the rest of the communities in Red River County to follow. Mayor Marcella Dean and the city council are doing great things for Annona.
Annona City Council and Red River Republican Party Chairman Cebron (Jim) O’Bier poses for a picture after the historic vote. (Photo: Mark Lee Dickson)
The Ordinance
The six provisions of the Annona Sanctuary City for the Unborn Ordinance:
(1) prohibit performing an elective abortion and aiding or abetting elective abortions within the city limits of Annona
(2) prohibit elective abortions on residents of Annona – regardless of where the abortion takes place
(3) prohibit abortion trafficking through the City of Annona
(4) prohibit the mailing of abortion-inducing drugs into the City of Annona
(5) prohibit criminal organizations from doing business inside the city limits of Annona, and
(6) prohibit through or in the City of Annona 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 Annona 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 Annona, 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 Annona 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 Annona that is a part of the program is Expectant Heart Pregnancy Center – located 30.2 miles away in Mount Pleasant, Texas.
Protecting pregnant mothers and their children
The City of Annona (pop. 288) follows Hooks (pop. 2,769), Shelby County (pop. 24,192), Douglassville (pop. 228), and Como (pop. 758), Talco (pop. 494) as the sixth 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. The passage of the Annona Sanctuary City for the Unborn ordinance came just hours after Senate Bill 6 – The Women and Child Protection Act, passed the Texas Senate.
Citizens who wish to see their city or county pass an ordinance similar to the City of Annona, further outlawing abortion in their community, are encouraged to sign the online petition.
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