Amarillo citizen group moves forward with abortion ordinance petition
As Amarillo City Council members are still in discussion on how and whether to craft a citywide abortion ordinance, a group of 11 Amarillo citizens filed paperwork Dec. 28 with the city for a petition of initiative to outlaw abortion within the city.
The council was weighing three possible proposals, from public enforcement of the abortion drug Mifepristone to private enforcement of travel through the city to get a legal abortion in another state. During a December work session on the ordinance, most of the council pushed back against any travel restrictions on abortion, with some members arguing the city did not want to overreach its power and restrict freedom of travel through the city. There was also concern that this type of travel restriction would turn neighbor against neighbor and with the legal implications of standing for this type of civil action.
According to the city charter, for the petition to move forward, it must get signatures from 5% of the registered voters in Amarillo within 120 days of this petition filing. So, with this initiative, more than 5,500 handwritten signatures must be received by the city secretary by late April. If the needed number of signatures are certified by the city, then the council must either vote on the ordinance or possibly have it placed on the ballot for the next election. The deadline to get a ballot issue for the next election is Feb. 16, so it would be placed on the November ballot in 2024.
Amarillo Mayor Cole Stanely has said that under no circumstances will he support a council-initiated abortion ordinance to label Amarillo as a “Sanctuary City for the Unborn." Councilmember Tom Scherlen has also voiced concern that any ordinance could be a great government overreach for the city, which would restrict the freedom of its citizens to travel.
This abortion ban seeks to replicate abortion bans in over 45 cities across Texas, which restrict travel through civil enforcement. This initiative would make Amarillo the second most populous city to enact such a ban if successful. In 2021, Lubbock became the most populous city in Texas to pass a similar initiative.
The 11 initiating committee members who signed the petition were Jana May, Cindy Price, Peggy Carter Thomas, Jacob A. Meyer, John Barrett, Steve Austin, Jennifer Roberts, Martha Sell, Alex Deanda, Connie Morgan, and Carol Ann Stewart.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Amarillo citizen group moves forward with abortion ordinance petition
