Anti-abortion ordinance to be considered for "untabling" again

Jan. 3—CLOVIS — City Commissioner Juan Garza hopes to get a vote on an anti-abortion ordinance at Thursday's commission meeting.

Garza placed two items on Thursday's agenda. The first item is a vote to un-table the ordinance and the second item is to vote on the ordinance, should it be un-tabled, the commissioner said in an interview on Monday.

The ordinance basically requires any clinic coming into the community to comply with federal law, he said. This is an anti-abortion ordinance, which he favors because he is "pro-life."

The federal law Garza and others have referenced involves an 1873 Comstock law that prohibits publicizing, distributing or possessing information about or medication or other tools for "unlawful" contraception or abortions.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has vowed to push for abortion protections be codified in state law when legislators meet later this month. While New Mexico already allows abortion with few restrictions, Lujan Grisham said enshrining those protections in law would ensure women in the state would never have "anything less than full bodily autonomy and freedom of choice," the Albuquerque Journal reported.

The first time the Clovis ordinance came before the commission for a vote, it was tabled. At a subsequent meeting, Commissioner David Bryant brought the item before the commission for a vote to un-table it. It was a tie vote before Mayor Mike Morris cast his vote, broke the tie, and the item remained tabled.

Garza said he placed the item on the agenda because he "has a concern with our legislators that are pro-life that during the legislative session, they are not going to be able to accomplish anything on this issue. If we wait 60 days (for the legislative session), it would not be productive."

He said he talked to Morris and also made the other commissioners aware that this item was going to come back for action.

Morris acknowledged Monday he had heard from Garza.

"Commissioner Garza made me aware Friday that he was placing the un-tabling issue on the Jan. 5 agenda," Morris said.

"We're looking forward to the Lord moving in a big way Thursday," Ryan Denton said. Denton is pastor of Grace Covenant Reformed Church of Clovis and Lubbock Reformed Church.

Denton has been backing the passage of the ordinance.

"We are confident our leaders are going to pass the ordinance," Denton said. "Most of our leaders have guts and conviction, they'll prove it Thursday."

Laura Wight is co-founder of Eastern New Mexico Rising, a progressive group of Curry and Roosevelt counties. Wight lives in Clovis in Garza's district.

"Garza is acting irresponsibly and reckless as a commissioner who does not respond to his constituents phone calls or emails," Wight said. "So it's hardly surprising he is ignoring the very clear positions on this issue already stated by the mayor and Garza's fellow commissioners."

Wight believes the ordinance would impede the rights of citizens to access necessary health care.

Wight believes passage of the measure "would be costly to the taxpayers of Clovis in a guaranteed legal fight and subsequent loss."

Clovis has no abortion clinics but some have speculated providers may open clinics along eastern New Mexico since Texas has outlawed most abortions.