Odessa, Texas Will Vote November on Pro-Life Measure Banning Abortions

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Aug 2, 2021   |   5:29PM   |   Washington, DC

The city council in Odessa, Texas is mulling whether to place a pro-life ordinance on the Nov. 2 ballot.

Odessa Online reports Mayor Javier Joven has been urging the council for months to pass a Sanctuary City for the Unborn ordinance and outlaw abortions within city limits.

While the seven-member council has been reluctant to pass the ordinance, it appears that the council may support allowing the people of Odessa to decide.

According to the report, the pro-life ordinance is up for discussion again Tuesday; and the council may vote on placing the ordinance on the ballot on Aug. 10.

Joven and council members Denise Swanner and Mark Matta support the ordinance, and, on Monday, council member Tom Sprawls said he will vote in favor of the ballot plan, the report states.

Sprawls said he not a “right-to-lifer,” but he believes city residents should have the opportunity to vote on the issue.

Three other council members, Steve Thompson, Detra White and Mari Willis, said they oppose the proposal. Thompson argued it would be a “waste of taxpayer money for a designation that means absolutely nothing.”

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To date, 33 cities in Texas, Nebraska and Ohio have passed pro-life ordinances to ban abortions within city limits. In May, voters in Lubbock, Texas overwhelmingly passed a Sanctuary City for the Unborn ordinance during a special election.

Lubbock is the first city with an abortion facility to pass a Sanctuary City for the Unborn ordinance, and Planned Parenthood stopped aborting unborn babies on June 1 when it went into effect. Planned Parenthood sued to block the ordinance, but a federal judge threw out its lawsuit.

Seven other Texas cities also won a victory in 2020 when the American Civil Liberties Union dropped its lawsuit challenging their pro-life ordinances.

A number of other cities in Texas, Florida and other states also are considering pro-life ordinances this year.

ACTION ALERT: Contact the Odessa City Council.