Mark Lee Dickson, founder of Sanctuary Cities of the Unborn, speaks about making Lindale a sanctuary city at Pickers Pavilion Thursday.

Editor’s note: This story has been corrected.

After a three-hour long public hearing, the Lindale City Council on Thursday night approved an ordinance for the city to become a Sanctuary City for the Unborn.

Lindale is the 15th city in East Texas to become a Sanctuary City for the Unborn, which prevents any abortions or abortion clinics within the city limits.

The effort was first brought up in Lindale in February 2020 when council members passed a resolution condemning abortion rather than creating an ordinance.

When Lindale first turned down the creation of an ordinance, Mark Lee Dickson, founder of Sanctuary Cities of the Unborn, said residents were “shocked and disappointed” because a resolution does nothing and is not what they asked for.

While Dickson said this was a disappointment, the ordinance continued to be pushed for, leading to a citizen initiative on Thursday evening at Pickers Pavilion to force a vote.

“I think a lot has happened since February 2020 and I think they realize that sanctuary city ordinances paved the way for the Texas Heartbeat Act,” Dickson said.

Hundreds of residents filled Pickers Pavilion, prepared to offer their thoughts on Lindale becoming a Sanctuary City for the Unborn.

“We have the kind of community that can and should support women and babies that might find themselves in hard situations,” said Lorah Ray, a Lindale resident. “I believe Lindale can and should be the kind of place that provides education, resources support and life to pregnant women instead of providing a means to abortion.”

Dr. Ann Abrameit, a gynecologist in Lindale, said she was unsure about voicing her thoughts because as a physician she is not in favor of more government or private citizen interference in the doctor-patient relationship. However, she felt led to participate.

“Our American society that is so focused on human rights, gender rights, racial rights and social justice refuses to acknowledge the basic right of the human in the womb,” Abrameit said.

“Coming generations are going to look at 21 century physicians who gave women medication to end life in the name of reproductive justice and will shake their heads at our ignorance,” she added. “We will look back at elected abortion and wonder as we do smoking, why did we so wholeheartedly embrace it?”

Abrameit said the medical community is divided on if abortions can cause breast cancer, pre-term labor and risk of future fertility because she believes studies are swayed by who is funding them. One thing many can agree on is it does cause lasting psychological and emotional issues in women, she added.

Mayor Jeff Daughtry said in 2020 when the council did not pass the ordinance, it was in part due to the legal aspects of the original ordinance.

“It scared all of us because the attorney was looking at it from the legal aspect of getting sued and what happened if we did do it –- and we’ve been criticized for not doing it,” Daughtry said. “There was a lawsuit problem, but the lawsuit did not prevail.”

Dickson said a lot of victories have been seen.

“Seven cities in East Texas were sued in 2020 and the cities survived and abortion remains banned,” Dickson said.

Lubbock was one city that got sued by Planned Parenthood. The lawsuit lasted two weeks before the judge ruled in the city’s favor, Dickson said.

Lindale is now one of 47 cities in the United Stated to become a Sanctuary City for the Unborn. The 15 East Texas cities include:

Brownsboro

• East Mountain
• Gary
• Gilmer
• Grapeland
• Joaquin
• Latexo
• Lindale
• Murchison
• Naples
• Poyner
• Rusk
• Tenaha
• Waskom
• Wells