Dallas suburb becomes 70th ‘Sanctuary City for the Unborn’ in US

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

On December 9, the City Council of Ovilla, Texas (pop. 4,709), located about 20 miles from Dallas, became the 70th city in the nation to pass an ordinance declaring itself a “Sanctuary City for the Unborn.” The “Ordinance Outlawing Abortion, declaring Ovilla a Sanctuary City for the Unborn” was passed in a 4-1 vote with council members Kimberly Case, Sharon Jungman, David Griffin, and Dean Oberg voting in favor of the ordinance, with Councilman Doug Hunt voting against the ordinance. The vote made Ovilla the 53rd city in Texas and the first city in Dallas County to pass such an ordinance. It is also the second city in Ellis County to pass such an ordinance – following the City of Midlothian (pop. 38,635). 

During the council meeting, several Ovilla residents spoke in favor of the passage of the ordinance, including 13-year-old Kolbe Jimenez – who attended with his mother and two brothers. The young resident of Ovilla, who sat patiently on the front row for his name to be called, was anxious to share a quote from the Catechism of the Catholic Church that had moved his heart. Jimenez read, “Society must respect unborn human life by providing legal protection against abortion and any other violation of human rights. It is incumbent upon civil authorities to protect and assist expectant mothers so they can provide readily the necessary care for their newborn residents.”

His older brothers Dominic Jimenez, age 16, and Damien, age 18, also spoke in favor of the ordinance. Dominic shared, “I was born and raised pro-life, and I’m very thankful and proud for that. God wills for a woman to be pregnant, and who are we to change His will?”

Last to speak of the three brothers was Damien Jimenez, who shared:

I am eighteen years old and I just recently voted for the first time, and I’m pretty devoted to the pro-life cause. As I’m getting older and thinking about what to do as an adult, I’m beginning to realize that, as a man, it is my duty to protect women and children and all who can’t defend themselves.

I believe that by declaring itself a Sanctuary City for the Unborn, Ovilla will be furthering these goals by protecting women from exposure to the emotional, physical, and spiritual harms that come with abortion, and protecting those innocent babies who can’t speak for themselves and are denied the right to life.

Our nation was founded on the basis of the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and if we deny the most fundamental of these rights, then I believe we have lost the great nation that our founders established.

Another Ovilla resident, Jane Crawford, shared about an experience she had with losing a child with abnormalities that would not be compatible with life outside the womb. While one doctor encouraged abortion, Jane and her husband Kirk knew that was not the answer. Their baby, who they named Teresa Mary Patricia Crawford, was stillborn on December 16, 1997. Jane shared about how supportive her church, Saint Joseph, was to their family and how the entire church was packed for her daughter’s funeral. Teresa shared in her written testimony:

We know that God gave Teresa to us for an important reason. We learned how precious every human life is and we strive to tell our story. We support many pro-life causes, in our local community and in our country. Kirk and I have lived in our beautiful community of Ovilla, Texas, for over 30 years. We support the ordinance declaring Ovilla a sanctuary city for the unborn and outlawing abortion. 

Once everyone was given an opportunity to speak and the questions held by the city council were answered, it was time for a decision. Councilwoman Kimberly Case made the motion to pass the ordinance, and it was immediately seconded by Councilman Dean Oberg – leading to the historic 4-1 vote for life in the City of Ovilla. 

Ovilla resident Kathy Daigle, who walks the streets of Ovilla with her husband Sandy Schexnailder every day praying for their city, shared, “I am so grateful for the amazing graces of God that last night Ovilla became a Sanctuary City for the Unborn. I feel that there is now a covering of protection over unborn children and their mothers.” 

READ: ‘Personally pro-life’ council members vote to reject ‘Sanctuary City for the Unborn’ ordinance in Illinois

Pastor Brian Treadway of Vertical Church, a local protestant congregation, shared, “With the agenda item on the floor for the city to become a Sanctuary City for the Unborn, citizens turned out in mass to speak in support of the ordinance. It was powerfully encouraging to see men, women, students, young adults, and senior adults all speaking with passion to see God’s design for life honored.” Pastor Treadway continued, “We are truly seeing the fulfillment of God’s promise that when His people humble themselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from their wicked ways, He will hear from heaven and heal their land! There are many more battles to fight, but a win has happened in Ovilla!”

Several from throughout the county were there in support of the measure, including Ellis County Judge Todd Little, Midlothian Attorney Dan Altman, and FirstLook Sexual Health and Pregnancy Center CEO Alisha Pinney. 

Also in attendance in support of the ordinance was Attorney Jace Yarbrough of the S|L Law Firm. Yarbrough told The Texan that he believes there is “no political subdivision too small to address the issues that are important to conservatives.” 

Speaking about the importance of Texas cities continuing to pass Sanctuary City for the Unborn ordinances prohibiting abortion and abortion trafficking with private enforcement mechanisms, Yarbrough shared, “If you live in a county with a liberal district attorney who won’t enforce the state laws against abortion, it makes sense to pass these kinds of ordinances to allow for private enforcement.” 

The Ovilla Ordinance puts into place six provisions. These provisions (1) prohibit performing elective abortions and aiding or abetting elective abortions within the city limits of Ovilla, (2) prohibit elective abortions on residents of Ovilla – regardless of where the abortion takes place, (3) prohibit abortion trafficking, (4) prohibit abortion-inducing drugs, (5) prohibit criminal organizations from doing business inside the city limits of Ovilla, and (6) prohibit the transport and disposal of the remains of unborn children killed by an elective abortion by abortion providers outside of the State of Texas. 

Ovilla’s Sanctuary City for the Unborn Ordinance is enforced the same way the Texas Heartbeat Act is enforced, through a private enforcement mechanism. The ordinance states, “Any person, other than the city of Ovilla, 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 ordinance has a six-year statute of limitations. Ovilla’s Ordinance is clear that “a civil action … may not be brought: against the woman upon whom the abortion was performed or induced or attempted to be performed or induced in violation of this ordinance, or against a pregnant woman who intends or seeks to abort her unborn child in violation of this ordinance.”

In addition to providing protections for pregnant mothers and their unborn children, the ordinance also educates members of the community on the Thriving Texas Families Program and the resources that can be obtained through centers listed on the Texas Pregnancy Care Network website. 

The City of Ovilla received a letter from Attorney Jonathan F. Mitchell, committing to represent the City of Ovilla at no cost to the city or taxpayers for any litigation that may arise from the passage of their ordinance outlawing abortion and abortion trafficking. 

Residents in cities and counties across the nation who are interested in seeing their local government pass an enforceable ordinance are encouraged to sign the online petition from the Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn Initiative. 

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