Conservative activists in Texas are pushing ordinances aimed at making it illegal for anyone to use certain roads to drive someone out of state for an abortion, though some local officials who support the state's anti-abortion laws are pushing back, expressing concern the efforts go too far, according to The Washington Post.
Many states have made abortion illegal following the Supreme Court's decision to strike down Roe v. Wade last summer. Two cities in Texas have now outlawed what some anti-abortion activists call "abortion trafficking."
Mark Lee Dickson, the director of Right to Life of East Texas and the anti-abortion activist behind the effort, has partnered with former Texas solicitor general Jonathan Mitchell to ban abortion city by city.
"Abortion trafficking," said Dickson, is the act of helping any pregnant woman cross state lines to end her pregnancy, lending her a ride, funding, or providing another form of support. Dickson's definition of "trafficking" applies to all people seeking abortions because "the unborn child is always taken against their will."
"This really is building a wall to stop abortion trafficking," he told the Post.
He cited the Mann Act, a federal law from 1910 that makes it illegal to transport "any woman or girl for the purpose of prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose" when asked about the constitutionality of his ordinances.
In Llano, which sits at the crossroads of several highways, four of five local officials recently voted to table passage of Ordinance 1501, which would declare Llano a sanctuary city to protect the rights of the unborn.
"I feel like there's a lot more to discuss about this," Laura Almond, a staunch conservative and city council member, said at a city council meeting in late August. "I have a ton of questions."
Mary Ziegler, a law professor at the University of California at Davis who focuses on abortion, told the Post Mitchell and Dickson "are not necessarily conceding that what they're doing is unconstitutional, but they're making it very hard for anyone to do anything about."
Neesha Davé, executive director of the Lilith Fund, an abortion fund based in Texas, said the purpose of these laws "is not to meaningfully enforce them."
"It's the fear that's the point. It's the confusion that's the point."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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