Commissioner James Calkins of Santa Rosa County, Florida, wants to take action to protect unborn babies from abortion this summer in the likelihood that the U.S. Supreme Court will overturn Roe v. Wade and allow states to ban abortions again.
During a June 9 meeting, Calkins said he is working with the county attorney to draft an ordinance that would prohibit abortion facilities from opening in Santa Rosa County, the Gulf Breeze News reports.
“We want to be a real pro-life sanctuary and stop a potential abortion clinic from coming to Santa Rosa County,” Calkins said.
He told the other commissioners that he plans to introduce the All Lives Matter ordinance at the June 14 meeting.
If the Supreme Court overturns Roe through the Mississippi case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health this summer, Calkins said it will be “something to celebrate.” He said many Americans have been praying for an end to Roe and abortion for 50 years.
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The Pensacola News Journal reports Santa Rosa County does not have any abortion facilities, but the ordinance potentially could stop one from opening there.
“If that (Supreme Court decision) happens, that’ll give jurisdiction to the states and hopefully, county governments. Now, we have our own state statutes that govern this issue that we have to look into. And we have our own courts in Florida that have precedents and rulings on this issue,” Calkins told the News Journal. “My … ultimate goal is to make sure we do not have an abortion clinic in Santa Rosa County allowed.”
He also expressed hope that the ordinance will have a “domino” effect and inspire other counties to take similar actions to protect unborn babies.
Other local government leaders have been considering pro-life and pro-abortion measures. On Tuesday, the City Council of Jacksonville, Florida rejected legislation that would have forced taxpayers to fund abortion-related travel costs for city employees.
More than 79,000 unborn babies were aborted in 2021 in Florida, according to state health statistics.
A new state law scheduled to go into effect July 1 prohibits abortions on unborn babies after 15 weeks. The law could save thousands of lives every year.
A number of cities across the country have passed legislation to protect unborn babies in recent years.
To date, 50 cities in Texas, Nebraska, Ohio, Louisiana and Iowa have passed Sanctuary City for the Unborn ordinances, which ban abortions within city limits.
Dozens of other cities and counties have passed pro-life resolutions, which are statements of support but not enforceable law, that recognize unborn babies’ right to life. In Arkansas, 19 counties and 10 cities and towns have passed pro-life resolutions, according to Family Council of Arkansas. Several North Carolina counties passed pro-life resolutions recently, too.
Since 1973, Roe v. Wade has forced states to legalize abortions up to viability and allowed abortions up to birth. As a result, more than 63 million unborn babies and hundreds of mothers have died in supposedly “safe, legal” abortions.
The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the Mississippi abortion case this summer, potentially later this month.
