After nearly two years of court battles, the city of San Antonio said it is moving forward with plans to direct taxpayer dollars towards an abortion fund, which will pay for residents to travel out of state for abortions. In response, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed suit against the city.

In 2023, the city council approved a budget that included $500,000 earmarked towards abortion travel and, potentially, illegal chemical abortions within the city. Texas Right to Life and the San Antonio Family Association (SAFA) filed suit, and by the following year, the city council had changed its plans. While a so-called “reproductive justice fund” was still included in the budget, it reportedly would no longer pay for abortion travel. Instead, it would be used for sex education, “reproductive health workshops,” contraception, prenatal care, and testing for sexually transmitted diseases.

Now, however, the city council has approved an additional $100,000 which will be given to abortion organizations and could include funding for abortion-related travel expenses. The proposal lists potential applicants for the funding, including Jane’s Due Process, an abortion organization that helps minors in Texas to travel out of state for abortions.

Not every council member was in favor of the measure — even those who are in favor of abortion. Marina Alderete Gavito, who said she is “pro-choice,” vocally opposed it, saying this fund was not among the city’s responsibilities to taxpayers, and that it could open the city up to legal issues. “San Antonio is facing a budget deficit over the next several years,” she said. “Diverting this money away from current programs would be irresponsible, and it would be reckless to provide travel for abortions knowing full and well it would open up the city to litigation.”

And it has. Newsweek reports that AG Paxton’s office claims the city is “unlawfully using public money to fund abortion tourism, enabling people to evade Texas’s laws protecting the lives of unborn children.” The outlet adds, “Paxton argued the council’s fund violates the Texas constitution’s gift clause, and asked for a temporary injunction to stop the money being transferred.”

SAFA, meanwhile, is also still pursuing a lawsuit to block the funding.

READ: Fr. Ambrose Criste reminds young leaders that abortion is a spiritual battle

“We are a family city,” SAFA president Michael Knuffke said. “We are a faithful city. The Archbishop has even said that we, the seed of faith, started right here in Texas. And that is true, and so we will do everything we possibly can to fight this.”

An abortion fund founder who has since become pro-life recently testified before the Texas Senate against the funding of abortion travel. Lenzi Sheible founded Fund Texas Choice (previously Fund Texas Women) in 2014. She noted that the entire point of abortion fund organizations is to find ways to circumvent pro-life laws and to encourage vulnerable, low-income women to have abortions.

“I know from experience that an abortion access organization is fighting very hard to get around the law; that’s their purpose. The idea is that abortion is difficult to access and so with money and with volunteers it becomes a lot easier, especially for the poor women who can’t afford it otherwise,” she said. “And in a way, that’s kind of an alarming admission, right? That specifically they’re helping the poorest women get the most abortions.”

After nearly two years of court battles, the city of San Antonio said it is moving forward with plans to direct taxpayer dollars towards an abortion fund, which will pay for residents to travel out of state for abortions. In response, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed suit against the city.

In 2023, the city council approved a budget that included $500,000 earmarked towards abortion travel and, potentially, illegal chemical abortions within the city. Texas Right to Life and the San Antonio Family Association (SAFA) filed suit, and by the following year, the city council had changed its plans. While a so-called “reproductive justice fund” was still included in the budget, it reportedly would no longer pay for abortion travel. Instead, it would be used for sex education, “reproductive health workshops,” contraception, prenatal care, and testing for sexually transmitted diseases.

Now, however, the city council has approved an additional $100,000 which will be given to abortion organizations and could include funding for abortion-related travel expenses. The proposal lists potential applicants for the funding, including Jane’s Due Process, an abortion organization that helps minors in Texas to travel out of state for abortions.

Not every council member was in favor of the measure — even those who are in favor of abortion. Marina Alderete Gavito, who said she is “pro-choice,” vocally opposed it, saying this fund was not among the city’s responsibilities to taxpayers, and that it could open the city up to legal issues. “San Antonio is facing a budget deficit over the next several years,” she said. “Diverting this money away from current programs would be irresponsible, and it would be reckless to provide travel for abortions knowing full and well it would open up the city to litigation.”

And it has. Newsweek reports that AG Paxton’s office claims the city is “unlawfully using public money to fund abortion tourism, enabling people to evade Texas’s laws protecting the lives of unborn children.” The outlet adds, “Paxton argued the council’s fund violates the Texas constitution’s gift clause, and asked for a temporary injunction to stop the money being transferred.”

SAFA, meanwhile, is also still pursuing a lawsuit to block the funding.

READ: Fr. Ambrose Criste reminds young leaders that abortion is a spiritual battle

“We are a family city,” SAFA president Michael Knuffke said. “We are a faithful city. The Archbishop has even said that we, the seed of faith, started right here in Texas. And that is true, and so we will do everything we possibly can to fight this.”

An abortion fund founder who has since become pro-life recently testified before the Texas Senate against the funding of abortion travel. Lenzi Sheible founded Fund Texas Choice (previously Fund Texas Women) in 2014. She noted that the entire point of abortion fund organizations is to find ways to circumvent pro-life laws and to encourage vulnerable, low-income women to have abortions.

“I know from experience that an abortion access organization is fighting very hard to get around the law; that’s their purpose. The idea is that abortion is difficult to access and so with money and with volunteers it becomes a lot easier, especially for the poor women who can’t afford it otherwise,” she said. “And in a way, that’s kind of an alarming admission, right? That specifically they’re helping the poorest women get the most abortions.”