Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn: A Travel Ban
In this series, we're diving into the 18-page ordinance that’s currently threatening our community’s culture, economy, and the well-being of its people. So far, we’ve covered how this will encourage neighbors to sue neighbors, encourages lawsuits without proof, prevents you from defending yourself in court, imposes extreme fines on its victims, and criminalizes free speech and association by creating cruel and unfair trials. Today we are diving in to explain how the Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn ordinance creates a ban on your right to travel.
The SCFTU ordinance proposes unprecedented government overreach. While it may seem like just a local policy, its impact extends far beyond the city’s borders—potentially restricting the personal freedoms of every resident, especially when seeking reproductive healthcare.
Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn as a Travel Ban
One of the most concerning aspects of the Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn ordinance is its attempt to restrict local residents' from seeking legal medical care (like abortions) in a different state. Though abortions are legal in other states, this ordinance allows anyone to file a lawsuit against someone who assists a loved one in facilitating out-of-state care. This effectively creates a “travel ban” on healthcare by imposing legal penalties on those supporting a person's decision to seek medical treatment that is perfectly legal in another state.
According to the Sanctuary Cities ordinance:
“The prohibitions in this section and chapter shall apply extraterritorially to the maximum extent permitted by the Constitution of the United States and the Texas Constitution.”
This vague language allows the ordinance to target individuals far outside city limits, bringing concerns about violating basic rights, including the constitutional right to travel freely across state lines for medical care.
Extraterritorial Overreach: How It Affects You
“Extraterritoriality” is when laws designed for one geographic area attempt to control actions taken outside of that region. The Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn ordinance is alarming because it extends a municpality’s legal reach beyond city lines, targeting citizens for their actions in other states.
Imagine you have a loved one who travels to New Mexico or Kansas for legal abortion care. If you help with travel plans, provide emotional support, or even offer advice, the SCFTU ordinance could allow someone to sue you for aiding and abetting, even though abortion is considered a lawful act in New Mexico. The ordinance turns simple acts of kindness into potential legal liabilities, threatening to penalize those offering support or guidance.
The Equal Protection Issue
SCTU ordinances disproportionately target individuals seeking reproductive healthcare—primarily birthing people—by singling out their actions, despite the fact that these actions are legal elsewhere. This undermines the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees equal treatment under the law. In effect, the ordinance discriminates against a specific group (pregnant people), infringing on their right to access healthcare in a discriminatory manner. If enacted, it could pave the way for unequal enforcement of laws that disproportionately impact marginalized communities.
How SCFTU Criminalizes Compassion
Beyond travel restrictions, Prop A penalizes everyday compassionate acts like emotional support and logistical assistance. The ordinance’s vague definition of “aiding and abetting” could make you liable for providing “abortion doula” services, such as making appointments, providing a meal for a family, or even being there for someone facing a difficult decision. All of these are considered “emotional or logistical support.”
This means that simply offering a ride to a friend or helping them book a hotel room could expose you to lawsuits from anti-abortion activists. Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn ordinances turn ordinary acts of kindness into legal risks, in the hopes of penalizing anyone wanting to help a loved one.
