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On July 21, the City of Hooks, Texas (pop. 2,769) became the 76th city in the nation, and the 59th city in Texas, to pass an ordinance declaring itself a “Sanctuary City for the Unborn.” The measure was placed on the City Council agenda in Hooks after Texas Congressman Nathaniel Moran had a discussion with Hooks Mayor Marc Reiter about Texas’ efforts to further protect pregnant mothers and their unborn children from the tragedy of abortion.
Mayor Reiter, having wanted to move forward a Sanctuary City for the Unborn measure for years, had an ordinance placed on the agenda and the measure was passed by the Hooks City Council in a unanimous 5-0 vote.
After the council meeting, Hooks resident and Southern Baptist minister Roy Ford shared:
Abortion is a moral violation of God’s Word. The baby is NOT THE WOMAN’S BODY, because the blood type is often different. Human life is the ultimate of God’s creation so it is one of the things that glorifies Him.
Thank God for the five men of the Hooks, Texas City Council. They unanimously voted tonight for Hooks to be a SANCTUARY CITY FOR THE UNBORN.
Longtime Hooks resident and Southern Baptist minister Roy Ford speaks before the Hooks City Council. (Photo: Mark Lee Dickson)
Bowie County Republican Chairman Gary Singleton was encouraged to see the City of Hooks become the first city in Bowie County to pass such a measure. Singleton shared:
Texas is a pro-life state and the Republican Party, like Governor Abbott and Senator Hughes, believe that there is more work to be done to protect pregnant Moms and their unborn children in Texas.
I want to thank the City Council for unanimously voting yes and I hope to see every city in the county and the county itself follow in their footsteps.
The Hooks Sanctuary City for the Unborn Ordinance puts into place six provisions, which prohibit…
- performing an elective abortion and aiding or abetting elective abortions within the city limits of Hooks.
- elective abortions on residents of Hooks – regardless of where the abortion takes place.
- abortion trafficking through the City of Hooks.
- the mailing of abortion-inducing drugs into the City of Hooks.
- criminal organizations from doing business inside the city limits of Hooks.
- 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 Hooks.
Hooks’ 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 Hooks, 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. Hooks’ 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.”
After the council meeting, Bowie County Republican Party Chairman Gary Singleton, Pastor Roy Ford, and Right to Life Across Texas Director Mark Lee Dickson take a picture with the Hooks City Council and other supporters of Monday’s vote. (Photo: Mark Lee Dickson)
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 and The Pregnancy Network website operated by Human Coalition.
The City of Hooks received a letter from Attorney Jonathan F. Mitchell, committing to represent the City of Hooks at no cost to the city or taxpayers for any litigation that may arise from the passage of their ordinance further outlawing abortion and abortion trafficking.
The victory in Northeast Texas came on the first day of the Special Session of the 89th Legislative Session called by Texas Governor Abbott.
The Session includes a call for “Legislation further protecting unborn children and their mothers from the harm of abortion” to be considered for passage. The legislation in focus is legislation which seeks to close the loophole on abortion-inducing drugs being mailed into the State of Texas.
While the effort to further address abortion-inducing drugs has much momentum, there is no guarantee the measure will get across the finish line during the short and jam-packed 30-day session. The local ordinances that have been passed by city and county leadership across Texas have addressed, at the local level, part of what the state is set to consider at the state level during the Special Session.
Other cities in Bowie County cities which could consider the ordinance in the future include Texarkana (pop. 37,679), Wake Village (pop. 5,897), New Boston (pop. 4,686), Nash (pop. 4,230), De Kalb (pop. 1,769), Maud (pop. 1,026), Red Lick (pop. 956), Redwater (pop. 851), and Leary (pop. 605).
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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