Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this guest post are solely those of the guest author.
Abortion is being outlawed from East to West. On Tuesday, August 12, just minutes after the City Council of Annona, Texas (pop. 288), passed an ordinance further outlawing abortion in East Texas, the City Council of Clyde, Texas (pop. 4,051), passed an ordinance outlawing abortion in West Texas.
The unanimous 3-0 vote made the City of Clyde, located on Interstate 20 between Abilene (pop. 129,043) and Baird (pop. 1,762), the 64th city in the State of Texas and the 81st city in the nation to pass an ordinance banning abortion.
“Overcome with Gratitude”
While the Clyde City Council first heard a presentation of the measure from Right to Life Across Texas at their city council meeting on July 8, the council voted on the measure at their August meeting. After the unanimous vote, Clyde Mayor Paul McGuire shared:
I placed this ordinance on the agenda and helped move this ordinance forward because I am against unborn children being killed, and I wanted to do something to help protect both them and their mothers.
As someone who is a Christian and who is Pro-Life, I had to do my part to stand up and protect pregnant mothers and their unborn children from the harm caused by abortion.
Clyde resident Linnie Goble Branton, who led the charge in her city, was ecstatic for the passage of the measure. After the vote, Branton shared:
I was so overcome with gratitude after Clyde was named a Sanctuary City for the Unborn I came home and cried happy tears….
Thank you Paul McGuire and Clyde City Council members Aimee Robinson-Jolly, David Mann, and Jim Rector. Thank you also to Rodger Brown. What an amazing journey.
Most of all, I am grateful to the Creator of all life. I know that He orchestrated every move to make the City of Clyde a safer place for unborn babies.
Cisco resident Ruth York, Abilene resident Tammy Fogle, and Clyde resident Linnie Branton give a victorious thumbs up after the unanimous 3-0 vote. (Photo: Mark Lee Dickson)
The City of Clyde is the first city in Callahan County, and the 11th city in the Hub of Texas – Abilene Region to pass a ‘Sanctuary City for the Unborn’ ordinance. Other cities in the region include: Abilene (pop. 129,043), San Angelo (pop. 101,612), Cisco (pop. 4,006), Eastland (pop. 3,970), Anson (pop. 2,347), Gorman (pop. 1,083), Lueders (pop. 346), Moran (pop. 285), Carbon (pop. 255), and Impact (pop. 38).
The Ordinance
The Clyde Sanctuary City for the Unborn 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 Clyde, 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 six provisions of the Clyde Sanctuary City for the Unborn Ordinance:
(1) prohibit performing an elective abortion and aiding or abetting elective abortions within the city limits of Clyde
(2) prohibit elective abortions on residents of Clyde – regardless of where the abortion takes place
(3) prohibit abortion trafficking through the City of Clyde
(4) prohibit the mailing of abortion-inducing drugs into the City of Clyde
(5) prohibit criminal organizations from doing business inside the city limits of Clyde, and
(6) prohibit through or in the City of Clyde the transportation and disposal of the remains of unborn children who have been killed by an elective abortion across state lines and carried into Texas by waste management companies.
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.
Texas Leads the Way
The City of Clyde (pop. 4,051) follows Hooks (pop. 2,769), Shelby County (pop. 24,192), Douglassville (pop. 228), and Como (pop. 758), Talco (pop. 494), and Annona (pop. 288) as the seventh political subdivision to pass a “Sanctuary for the Unborn” Ordinance during Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s first special session of the 89th Texas Legislature, where he has called the Texas Senate and House to pass legislation further protecting pregnant mothers and their unborn children from the harm of abortion.
The passage of the Clyde Sanctuary City for the Unborn ordinance came just hours after Senate Bill 6 – The Women and Child Protection Act, passed the Texas Senate.
Citizens who wish to see their city or county pass an ordinance similar to the City of Clyde, further outlawing abortion in their community, are encouraged to sign the online petition.
Featured photo: Clyde City Council poses for a picture with residents and area-supporters after the historic vote. (Photo by Mark Lee Dickson)
Follow Live Action News on Facebook and Instagram for more pro-life news.
