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

On Tuesday, the city of Quincy, Illinois (pop. 39,141), voted 7-5 against an “Ordinance Adding Chapter 137 to the Quincy, Illinois Code of Ordinances; Requiring Compliance With Federal Abortion Laws.” The vote came as a disappointing blow to the effort to see Quincy become a “sanctuary city for the unborn.”

The effort, which was spurred out of the City of Danville passing an ordinance in May, saw much support locally from Adams County Right To Life and churches throughout the community. In one of the local newspapers, editorials were submitted by Springfield Right To Life, Students for Life of America, Right To Life of East Texas, and Dr. Alveda King – all who publicly voiced their support of the measure. 

The agenda item resulted in a packed council chambers with many in attendance having to sit on the floor and stand in the lobby. Most of those in support of the ordinance wore red, while most of those against the ordinance wore black. The consideration even drew former Illinois Governor candidate Jesse Sullivan who attended the event from almost two hours away in Petersburg, Illinois, to speak in favor of the measure. Students for Life of America Ozarks Regional Coordinator Nicole Hollmann and Students for Life of America Christian Leadership Fellow Kendall Hirte from Missouri Baptist University drove over two hours from the Saint Louis, Missouri, area to support the measure. 

After pointing to a portrait of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. behind the City Council members, Hirte read a letter from King’s niece, Dr. Alveda King. The letter read, in part, “The ordinance before you requires compliance with federal abortion laws which prohibit the mailing and the receiving of abortion-inducing drugs and abortion paraphernalia. These federal abortion laws, found in 18 U.S.C. §§ 1461–62, have never been repealed by Congress and currently exist as the Supreme Law of the United States of America.” The letter concluded, “Equal justice mandates protection for humanity; one blood, one human race, from the womb to the tomb and beyond.”

Opposing the ordinance were groups like Voices for Choice, the ACLU of Illinois, Personal PAC, and the League of Women Voters. The last speaker was a man with a Bible in his hand, who claimed that God did not see unborn children as equal. The man told the city council that he was not sure if they would be standing before their creator at the end of it all, but that they were going to have to stand before their voters and, if they passed the ordinance, they would be standing before a judge. 

In the end, council members Greg Fletcher (R-1), Jeff Bergman (R-2), Dave Bauer (D-2), Breanna Rivera (R-3), Richie Reis (D-6), Ben Uzelac (D-7), and Jack Holtschlag (D-7) voted against the ordinance with a strong majority of seven out of the twelve members who were present. Council members who voted in favor of the ordinance included Eric Entrup (R-1), Kelly Mays (R-3), Mike Farha (R-4), Glen Ebbing (R-5), and Jake Reed (R-6). Council members Tony Sassen (R-4) and Mike Rein (R-5) were absent due to trap shooting. Mayor Mike Troup said that if he had been in a place where he would have had to break a tie, he would have voted against the ordinance. 

Many who voted against the ordinance also claimed to be pro-life.

According to Muddy River News, after the meeting, Mayor Mike Troup said, “Personally, am I pro-life? Yes. But is this something the City Council should be dealing with? That’s where, I think, the no votes came in. I don’t know that there’s really anyone on the City Council who’s not pro-life.” 

Councilman Fletcher claimed he was pro-life, but that he did not believe “gray-haired guys” should involve themselves in a decision between a patient and their doctor. Looking into the audience, Fletcher shared, “I’ve got a lot of friends out here in red, a lot… But I don’t think this is what being conservative is about. Not for me anyway. It’s none of my business. In a lot of these people’s cases, they’ll have to meet their maker one day, they’ll have to explain it.”

Fletcher continued, “Yeah, and I’m gonna have to meet mine too. And I’m gonna tell them that it was not my place to tell this person or that person or that person what they should or shouldn’t do. That is between them, their physician, their pastor and their God. Not your Alderman supporting an ordinance that’s illegal.” 

The Pro-Life Reply to: "I'm Personally Pro Life, BUT..."

Councilman Jake Reed pushed back against Fletcher, stating, “You say that you are pro-life. Your vote of no on this proves exactly the opposite.” Reed called Fletcher out, “You support what the opposition is saying. You are scared of what Governor Pritzker could do to you. You are scared about what Attorney General Kwame Raoul could do to you.”

Fletcher also argued that the issue should be dealt with in Springfield, not in Quincy, stating, “The federal government reversed Roe v. Wade and gave (abortion) back to the states. We make decisions with the state of what the law of the land will be. I don’t like it, but it’s the law of the land, and that’s where we need to change it. Not in this room.” This was also the position of Quincy City Attorney Lonnie Dunn. 

Councilman Jake Reed attempted to correct the city attorney and several of the council members’ interpretation of the Dobbs decision. Councilman Reed read from the Dobbs decision itself, “The Constitution does not prohibit the citizens of each State from regulating or prohibiting abortion. Roe and Casey arrogated that authority. The Court overrules those decisions and returns that authority to the people and their elected representatives.” Reed emphasized that they are among the “elected representatives” the Supreme Court of the United States talked about. 

After the meeting, Jesse Sullivan shared, “You cannot be a true Christian and pro-choice. You cannot claim to love Jesus while killing his innocent children. Just like you cannot claim to be pro-life while voting to allow the murder of innocent children in your city. Attorney Generals across America are standing up and using these federal laws to push back against Walgreens and CVS to prevent these deadly drugs from coming into our cities. The Quincy City Council should have stood with their pro-life constituents and with these Attorney Generals across America who are on the right side of history.”

Sullivan continued, “This vote allows a community to see clearly who are the true Christian pro-life council members and who are just wolves in sheep’s clothing. Now, it is time to rally the community to vote the fake pro-lifers out of office.”

Councilman Jake Reed also had strong words after the meeting, sharing, “There is of course disappointment that comes after last night’s meeting, but that sentiment does not fall on the pro-life community. They came out in droves to support the Unborn and are to be congratulated on their courage and resolve. The feeling of disappointment collapses on those members of the council who purport to be pro-life while siding exactly with the party of death.”

Reed continued, “Governor Pritzker is smiling at their decision today. We know where they stand. They cannot hide behind their words because their actions speak volumes. A change is coming in 2025 and there is a multitude behind the effort. The fight has just begun.”

The Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn Initiative is continuing their work in Quincy and throughout the State of Illinois. Illinois residents who wish to see their city do everything they can to push back against the radical abortion agenda are encouraged to sign the online petition.

Correction, 10/11/23: Kendall Hirte was incorrectly identified in the original version of this article. In addition, the population of Quincy was also incorrect and has been changed. We regret the errors.