Four cities in Texas and five others in Nebraska approved ballot measures on Election Day to outlaw nearly all abortions within their jurisdictions.
The results included wins in nine of the ten communities that included similar ballot measures, with one Nebraska town voting in opposition.
“The majority of cities in America are populated with citizens who don’t want abortion in their communities,” Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn Initiative founder Mark Lee Dickson told The Star News Network. “The nine victories in Texas and Nebraska are a great testimony to this reality.”
The four Texas cities included Abilene, Athens, Plainview, and San Angelo. Abilene is the largest of the Lone Star State’s cities to approve the measure, representing more than 124,000 residents.
Texas already prohibits many abortions in its state following the passage of its Heartbeat Act which bans most abortions after six weeks when a fetal heartbeat is detected.
The ballot initiatives sought to further limit abortion. Each community’s ballot text is unique, though they emphasize similar actions that declare abortion unlawful, with the exception of the health of the mother.
The text for the Abilene ballot, for example, reads in part: “It shall be unlawful for any employer in the city of Abilene, Texas, and for any person acting on that employer’s behalf, to offer, provide, or arrange for coverage of abortion in any health-insurance policy or plan, flexible spending account, health savings account, or any other benefit provided to its employees, except for abortions performed in response to a life-threatening physical condition aggravated by, caused by, or arising from a pregnancy that, as certified by a physician, places the woman in danger of death or a serious risk of substantial impairment of a major bodily function unless an abortion is performed.”
In Nebraska, the towns of Arnold, Brady, Hershey, Paxton, and Wallace voted in support of the ballot measure. Curtis, Nebraska, was the one town to oppose it.
The Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn movement notes that the nine new wins now make 61 cities nationwide that have approved measures in favor of the unborn. Most of the current cities are within Texas and Nebraska.
Willey, Iowa, approved a measure in May. Pollock, Louisiana; Hobbs, New Mexico; Mason, Ohio (later recanted by a new mayor); and Lebanon, Ohio, officially joined the effort.
Abortion laws have become an important issue in many states following the Supreme Court’s ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade and returned decisions regarding abortion to individual states.
The Daily Wire previously reported that 13 states had trigger laws set to go into effect following the Supreme Court’s decision. Several additional states have since passed new restrictions. Up to 26 states are likely to strongly limit abortion.
Other states voted on measures to increase abortion access during the 2022 midterm elections. For example, Michigan voters passed Proposition 3, which legalizes abortion until birth. Voters in California amended the state constitution by approving a referendum to protect abortion until birth.