East Texas city of New Boston becomes 82nd ‘Sanctuary City for the Unborn’ in US

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

Another East Texas city has passed an ordinance further protecting pregnant mothers and their unborn children from the tragedy of abortion.

On Tuesday, August 19, the City Council of New Boston, Texas (pop. 4,686), passed an ordinance outlawing abortion in a 3-1-1 vote. The vote made the City of New Boston, located on Interstate 30 and United States Hwy 82 between De Kalb (pop. 1,769) and Hooks (pop. 2,769), the 65th city in the State of Texas and the 82nd city in the nation to pass an ordinance banning abortion. 

The ordinance was placed on the City Council agenda in New Boston after Texas Congressman Nathaniel Moran had a discussion with New Boston Mayor Ron Humphrey about Texas’ efforts to further protect pregnant mothers and their unborn children from the danger of abortion. After a presentation from Right to Life Across Texas, followed by several questions from the city council members, the council passed the ordinance with 3 voting for, 1 voting against, and 1 abstaining.

After the vote, Mayor Ron Humphrey said, “I am very pleased our council made the statement that our city supports life from conception and will defend the rights of the unborn.”

The New Boston Sanctuary City for the Unborn Ordinance prohibits:

(1) performing an elective abortion and aiding or abetting elective abortions within the city limits of New Boston

(2) elective abortions on residents of New Boston – regardless of where the abortion takes place

(3) abortion trafficking through the City of New Boston

(4) the mailing of abortion-inducing drugs into the City of New Boston

(5) criminal organizations from doing business inside the city limits of New Boston

(6) the transportation or disposal of the remains of unborn children who have been killed by an elective abortion across state lines and carried by waste management companies into Texas in and through the City of New Boston.

The 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 New Boston, 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, which has a six-year statute of limitations, 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 about the Thriving Texas Families Program and directs people to the Texas Pregnancy Care Network website and The Pregnancy Network website operated by Human Coalition to be connected to these services.

Bowie County Republican Chairman Gary Singleton, who was present in support of the measure, shared:

I’m proud of the New Boston City Council for their vote to join the many cities across our state becoming Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn, supporting the rights of the unborn and further protecting unborn children and their mothers from the harm of abortion.

As Governor Abbott shared earlier this week, ‘Protecting life is our highest priority.’ Texas is a pro-life state, Bowie County is a pro-life county, and there is much more work to be done to protect innocent unborn children and their moms who are being targeted by the abortion industry.

The vote came just hours following Governor Greg Abbott’s bill signing ceremony for Senate Bill 33, which prohibits local governments from using taxpayer funds to fund abortion-related travel expenses. As previously reported by Live Action News, “The legislation came after the city councils in both Austin and San Antonio voted to set aside taxpayer dollars to pay for abortion-related travel expenses, with funds covering things including travel, hotel, and food costs for women to kill their preborn children out of state.”

The City of New Boston follows Hooks (pop. 2,769), Shelby County (pop. 24,192), Douglassville (pop. 229), Como (pop. 758), Talco (pop. 494), Annona (pop. 288), and Clyde (pop. 3,985) as the eighth political subdivision to adopt an ordinance “further protecting pregnant mothers and their unborn children from the harm of abortion” since the start of Governor Abbott’s first Special Session of the 89th Legislature, which began on Monday, July 21st, and the first political subdivision to adopt such a measure since the start of Governor Abbott’s second Special Session of the 89th Legislature, which began on Friday, August 15th. 

The City of New Boston is the second city in Bowie County and the 20th 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), Annona (pop. 288), and Douglassville (pop. 228). The only city in the region, and the entire state, to have recanted its ordinance is the City of Omaha – which recanted after receiving an open records request from the ACLU of Texas in 2019. 

Other Bowie County cities which could consider the ordinance in the future include: Texarkana (pop. 37,679), Wake Village (pop. 5,897), Nash (pop. 4,230), De Kalb (pop. 1,769), Maud (pop. 1,026), Red Lick (pop. 956), Redwater (pop. 851), and Leary (pop. 605). Citizens who wish to see their city or county pass an ordinance similar to the City of New Boston,  further outlawing abortion in their community, are encouraged to sign the online petition.

Featured Photo by Mark Lee Dickson: Bowie County Republican Party Chairman Gary Singleton, New Boston Mayor Ron Humphrey, and Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn founder Mark Lee Dickson pose for a picture after the vote.

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