Sanctuary city petition has enough signatures, paving way to outlaw abortion in San Angelo

SAN ANGELO — Abortion is one step closer to being outlawed in San Angelo by majority vote after anti-abortion advocates gained enough signatures in favor of making San Angelo a "sanctuary city for the unborn."

On Friday, Jan. 21, officials determined at least 1,512 people had signed their names to a petition wanting to outlaw abortion in San Angelo, according to Julia Antilley, City Clerk.

"We determined there were sufficient signatures to bring the results of this petition to City Council during their next meeting on Feb. 1," Antilley said during an interview with the Standard-Times.

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But before voters have a chance to weigh in on the sanctuary city issue at the ballot box, Antilley said there were more steps the City had to take. Council members will first have to determine what day to have a public hearing, allowing San Angelo residents to voice their concerns.

Prior to that public hearing, officials will run the 17-page draft ordinance in the Standard-Times.

"Council will tell us what day they want a public hearing," Antilley said, adding that the upcoming special election to fill the vacant SMD 5 chair might impact that decision.

"There could be a runoff election, and we don't know if they'll want to wait until there's a full council or not," Antilley said.

While there are currently no abortion clinics in San Angelo as of Friday, Jan. 21, a previous draft ordinance submitted to officials would "outlaw abortion within city limits, declare abortion to be murder, and protect municipalities from abortion providers setting up shop within the city's jurisdiction," according to prior documents submitted to the City Clerk's office.

PRIOR COVERAGE: San Angelo City Council reaches decision on 'sanctuary city' issue

Gunter: 'Let the voters decide.'

In October 2021, San Angelo Mayor Brenda Gunter voted in favor of allowing the decision to be left to the voters, and explained her rationale.

"I strongly support taking the issue to the citizens because I believe that we do not have the right to take their voice or their vote away from them," Gunter stated during an earlier interview.

Gunter said no city council members, at least to her knowledge, support abortion. For her, declaring San Angelo to be a 'sanctuary' of anything was a slippery slope on other social issues.

"Becoming a 'sanctuary city for the unborn' means you start opening the door to become a sanctuary city for 'this' and a sanctuary city for 'that'," Gunter said.

"The reality is that the ordinance had no enforcement behind it — none," she said. "It pits citizen against citizen."

While City Council may have delayed the fate of abortion in San Angelo, Gunter believes that when the time comes, anti-abortion advocates will get what they want.

"I believe the sanctuary city issue will pass when taken to the public, but I think the public has a right to vote," Gunter said, noting she encouraged all citizens to vote in the next election no matter if the odds appeared stacked against them.

"Every vote counts," she said.

How likely is the measure to pass in San Angelo?

Previous elections in Tom Green County do not paint a favorable outcome for advocates of abortion, as the majority of registered voters are conservative Republicans.

In the 2020 Presidential Election, there were 32,313 people (71.47%) who voted for Donald Trump, while 12,239 people (27.07%) cast their ballots for Joseph Biden, according to the Tom Green County Elections Office.

Registered voters in Tom Green County also have weighed in about abortion in previous elections. During the March 2018 Republican Primary, the following question was posed on the ballot as Proposition No. 7: "I believe abortion should be abolished in Texas. Vote yes or no."

Out of the 6,948 registered Republican voters who cast ballots, an overwhelming majority, 5,017 people in Tom Green County (72%), wanted abortion abolished.

City officials said a vote on whether to make San Angelo a sanctuary for the unborn could happen in May 2022.

What it took to get the sanctuary city measure on the ballot

The process of getting a measure to registered San Angelo voters on the May ballot took hundreds of signatures, petitions, forms and time, city officials said.

Residents had to follow Section 47 of the City Charter, "Initiative and Referendum."

"The charter gives the people the opportunity to review any ordinance or resolution that we already have on the books," said City Clerk Julia Antilley during an October 2021 interview with the Standard-Times.

Antilley said residents would need an initiating committee of five people, and then signed petitions with not less than 25% of the number of voters who cast ballots in the last mayoral election.

"The number of people who voted in the last mayoral election was 6,048," Antilley said. "That would be 1,512 (signatures)."

Those seeking more information can read Section 47 of San Angelo's City Charter online at: cosatx.us/government/city-clerk/city-charter-code-of-ordinances.

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John Tufts covers enterprise and investigative topics in West Texas. Send him a news tip at JTufts@Gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on San Angelo Standard-Times: San Angelo could be declared 'sanctuary city' after abortion petition