Texas town blocks mayor's bid to become 'sanctuary city for the unborn'

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Texas mayor loses bid to make his city a sanctuary city for the unborn

The Mineral Wells City Council votes down an anti-abortion ordinance for the city.

A North Texas city decided not to ban abortion in a surprising move.

Mineral Wells Mayor Christopher Perricone wanted to create an ordinance, similar to one passed by another Texas border town, that would make the city a "sanctuary city for the unborn." But when he asked the city manager to add an item to Tuesday City Council agenda, the city attorney advised council members the abortion ban would conflict with federal law, FOX 4 reported.

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Perricone got the idea from Wascom, in East Texas, which passed an ordinance making organizations that perform abortions or assist in obtaining them, like Planned Parenthood, "criminal organizations."

The council in Mineral Wells voted 5-2 against moving forward, with opponents saying it had nothing to do with politics but rather just they didn't want the city to have to pay for a lawsuit.

Mineral Wells Mayor Christopher Perricone at Tuesday night's city council meeting where his bid to made the city a sanctuary for the unborn failed. (Courtesy of Mark Lee Dickson)

And after the vote was taken, the public was allowed to give its input. The debate got heated at some points both for and against the proposal.

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“Mayor, I dare you to tell me you own my body like my rapist did. Because I told my rapist no,” said Isabela Villa. She joined groups like Texas Democratic Women, Progressive Democrats of America, League of United Latin American Citizens, and the Mineral Wells Area Chamber of Commerce in opposing the mayor's proposal.

But the majority present supported the anti-abortion ordinance.

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"Who knows what blessings the Lord has waiting to pour out on an entire city who is willing to take a stand for what He values most out of all of His creation—human life?" said Christy Dorr, a resident who runs a pregnancy resource center. "I feared coming here today, losing friends and stirring up trouble for myself and my family. But, I was reminded of this, and I want to remind the citizens of Mineral Wells this from Romans 8:31: If God is for, who can be against us?"

Mineral Wells, Texas is located an hour west of Fort Worth. (Courtesy of Mark Lee Dickson)

She was joined by groups like the Right to Life of East Texas, Texas Right To Life, and the National Black Pro-Life Coalition.

Although Mineral Wells does not currently have an abortion clinic, Perricone said his goal was to make it known the city with a population of less than 17,000 doesn’t approve of abortion.

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“If we’re going to take the stance that we believe that life begins at conception, that our duty as elected officials is to protect that life," the mayor said, "then I feel that we need to take this strongest stand possible."