CHANDLER, Texas — The Chandler City Council on Tuesday voted against banning abortion within the city limits by deciding to not become a Sanctuary City for the Unborn.
Several East Texans came out during the council meeting to speak about the potential ordinance.
However, city council members said the city's attorney believed that the ordinance could not be enforced by city officials. If it did become law, the ordinance would've outlawed abortion in Chandler and the distribution and use of abortion-inducing drugs as well as prohibited "abortion trafficking."
Abortion trafficking is defined as a person knowingly transporting any person to provide or obtain an elective abortion, regardless of where the operation will happen if the transportation begins, ends or passes through whatever city adopts the ordinance.
Council members said they are against abortion, but they don't support the ordinance presented by Mark Lee Dickson, founder of the Sanctuary City for the Unborn and Right to Life East Texas.
“I’ve stripped the ordinance more bare than any ordinance out there to be honest and they still didn't want it," Dickson said.
Dickson added he will continue spreading his ordinance that 50 cities in Texas, including 16 in East Texas, have already adopted.
This was the third time the ordinance has been on the Chandler City Council agenda.
Prior to the meeting, the city's recommendation was to adopt a resolution, which would express opposition against abortion and not go against other laws in the state, instead of an ordinance because of enforcement issues.
According to the text of the ordinance, the regulations would've been enforced exclusively through private civil lawsuits, not city officials.
The following cities across East Texas have become Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn:
- Waskom
- Joaquin
- Gilmer
- Tenaha
- Naples
- Rusk
- Gary
- Wells
- East Mountain
- Grapeland
- Murchison
- Latexo
- Poynor
- Brownsboro
- Lindale
- Athens