City of Marietta in Texas becomes 84th ‘Sanctuary City for the Unborn’ in US

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this guest post are solely those of the author.

On Wednesday, November 12, the city council of Marietta, Texas (pop. 115), passed an “Ordinance Outlawing Abortion, declaring Marietta a Sanctuary City for the Unborn” in a 3-2-1 vote. The vote made the City of Marietta, located between Naples (pop. 1,378) and Douglassville (pop. 229), the 67th city in the State of Texas and the 84th city in the nation to pass an ordinance banning abortion. 

Gauging local support

This was the fourth time the council heard a presentation on the measure. The Marietta City Council first heard a presentation on the measure at their council meeting on August 13. Due to the need to appoint vacancies on their city council, the council was not yet ready to vote at that time.

While the city council planned on voting on the measure at their meeting on September 10, the council felt like they needed more time to consider the measure. At their city council meeting on October 8, 2025, the council determined that it would be best to conduct a poll to give their residents the opportunity to weigh in on where they stand on the issue. At their city council meeting on November 12, the Marietta City Council met to consider the results of their poll. While the poll did not result in as much response from their residents as they would have liked, previous voting records in the area showed strong support for the pro-life position. 

In 2022, Republican Party Primary voters in the Marietta voting precinct in Cass County 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.” In the Marietta voting precinct, 91.25% voted in favor of the propositional statement. The Marietta voting precinct number was just below the cumulative number for the county. Countywide, an overwhelming 92.80% voted in favor of Proposition #5. 

In a county where 82.68% of Cass County residents voted Republican in the 2024 Presidential election, and specifically in a precinct where 78.89% voted Republican, these Republican Party Primary election numbers end up becoming a great gauge at where Texas communities stand on the issue of abortion.  

Two years prior, during the 2018 Republican Party Primary, Cass County voters had the opportunity to vote on Proposition #7, which stated, “I believe abortion should be abolished in Texas.” During that election an overwhelming 80.03% of voters in Cass County voted in favor of this statement. Both in 2022 and 2018, Cass County was the second highest percentage on Proposition #5 and #7 in all of Senate District 1.

The Ordinance:

The Marietta Sanctuary City for the Unborn ordinance: (1) prohibits performing elective abortions and aiding or abetting elective abortions within the city limits (2) prohibits elective abortions on residents of the city – regardless of where the abortion takes place, (3) prohibits abortion trafficking, (4) prohibits abortion-inducing drugs, (5) prohibits criminal organizations from doing business inside the city limits, and (6) prohibits the transport and disposal of the remains of unborn children killed by an elective abortion by abortion providers outside of the State of Texas from being brought through or disposed of in the city. 

The proposed Marietta Sanctuary City for the Unborn Ordinance is enforced the same way the Texas Heartbeat Act is enforced, through a private enforcement mechanism allowing private citizens to file civil lawsuits against anyone in violation of the law.

The Marietta 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. 

Other ordinances in the region:

Ultimately, the Marietta City Council ended up casting their vote and adopting the measure 3-2-1: three in favor, two opposed, and one abstaining.

Joining the cities of Avinger and Douglassville, the City of Marietta is now the third city in Cass County, and the 22nd 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), New Boston (pop. 4,686), 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), Avery (pop. 462), Gary (pop. 335), Poynor (pop. 314), Annona (pop. 288) and Douglassville (pop. 229). The counties of Hopkins (pop. 38,784) and Camp (pop.13,094) have also passed similar ordinances in the region. 

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. 

Support at the state level:

In August 2023, Senator Bryan Hughes (SD-1) and 19 other Texas Senators and Representatives penned a letter in support of cities and counties passing ordinances outlawing abortion across the State of Texas. The letter read: 

“Currently there are over 50 political subdivisions in Texas which have passed local ordinances prohibiting abortion within their jurisdictions. As elected officials who voted for state legislation allowing these local actions, we are thrilled to see this wave of pro-life action at the local level and hope to see these ordinances continue to spread across our state – even in a post-Roe Texas. While it is true that abortion is outlawed in the entire State of Texas, from the point of conception, our work is far from over. Right now, throughout the State of Texas, women are being trafficked across our borders by abortion traffickers funded by abortion trafficking organizations still operating in our state. As a result, these women are being abused and traumatized by abortion across our Texas–New Mexico border and sent back to Texas for our cities and counties to deal with the aftermath taking place in our homes, our schools, our churches, and our hospitals.”

The letter continued, “The Sanctuary for the Unborn ordinances seek to protect these institutions by putting safeguards in place to protect men, women, and their children for years to come. These ordinances, which seek to close as many loopholes as possible, do not penalize women who seek or undergo abortions, but places the penalty on the party who most deserves it – the abortionist and the industry profiting from the unjust procedure, including abortion traffickers.”

A busy 2025:

Since the beginning of this year, 19 political subdivisions have passed ordinances outlawing abortion and abortion trafficking, including: Hopkins County (pop. 38,784), Shelby County (pop. 24,192), Camp County (pop. 13,094), New Boston (pop. 4,686), Clyde (pop. 4,051), Shackelford County (pop. 3,105), Hooks (pop. 2,769), Dickens County (pop. 1,725), Big Sandy (pop. 1,343), Como (pop. 758), Talco (pop. 492), Avery (pop. 462), Avinger (pop. 371), Lueders (pop. 346), Annona (pop. 288), Moran (pop. 285), Douglassville (pop. 229), Mullin (pop. 196), and Marietta (pop. 115). 

Citizens who wish to see their city or county pass an ordinance to further protect pregnant mothers and their unborn children from the violence of abortion are encouraged to sign the online petition.