{"id":335947,"date":"2025-08-08T16:49:50","date_gmt":"2025-08-08T21:49:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=335947"},"modified":"2025-08-08T16:09:33","modified_gmt":"2025-08-08T21:09:33","slug":"official-texas-como-78th-sanctuary-city-unborn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/official-texas-como-78th-sanctuary-city-unborn\/","title":{"rendered":"Official in Texas city tells why he voted to become 78th \u2018Sanctuary City for the Unborn\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this guest post are solely those of the guest author.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

On Thursday, August 7th, the City Council of Como, Texas (pop. 758), passed an \u201cOrdinance Outlawing Abortion, declaring Como a Sanctuary City for the Unborn\u201d in a unanimous 3-0 vote. The vote made the City of Como, located on State Hwy 11 between the cities of Sulphur Springs (pop. 16,564) and Winnsboro (pop. 3,614), the 78th city in the nation and the 61st city in Texas to pass an ordinance banning abortion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Como Mayor Jerry Radney had first heard about the measure on Sunday, August 3. Recognizing the opportunity, Mayor Radney called a special meeting of the Como City Council to consider the measure on Thursday, August 7. At that meeting, the city council heard a presentation from Right to Life Across Texas regarding the importance and necessity of the passage of the measure. After members of the city council asked several questions to clarify their understanding of the measure, the measure passed with the support of the full council.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The City of Como is the first city in Hopkins County, and the seventeenth city in the <\/span>Tyler-Longview Area Region<\/span><\/a> to pass a \u2018Sanctuary City for the Unborn\u2019 ordinance. Other cities in the region to have passed such ordinances include: <\/span>Athens<\/span><\/a> (pop. 13,503), <\/span>Lindale<\/span><\/a> (pop. 6,923), <\/span>Rusk<\/span><\/a> (5,664), Gilmer (pop. 5,216), <\/span>Hooks<\/span><\/a> (pop. 2,769), Waskom (pop. 2,190), Naples (pop. 1,378), <\/span>Big Sandy<\/span><\/a> (pop. 1,343), Omaha (pop. 1,021), <\/span>East Mountain<\/span><\/a> (pop. 899), <\/span>Wells<\/span><\/a> (pop. 853), <\/span>Murchison<\/span><\/a> (pop. 606), <\/span>Avinger<\/span><\/a> (pop. 444), <\/span>Gary<\/span><\/a> (pop. 335), <\/span>Poynor<\/span><\/a> (pop. 314), and <\/span>Douglassville<\/span><\/a> (pop. 228). The only city in the region, and the entire state, to have recanted their ordinance is the City of Omaha \u2013 who recanted their ordinance after receiving an open records request from the ACLU of Texas in 2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The six provisions of the Como Sanctuary City for the Unborn Ordinance are as follows: <\/span><\/p>\n

(1) prohibit performing an elective abortion and aiding or abetting elective abortions within the city limits of Como, <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

(2) prohibit elective abortions on residents of Como \u2013 regardless of where the abortion takes place, <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

(3) prohibit abortion trafficking through the City of Como, <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

(4) prohibit the mailing of abortion-inducing drugs into the City of Como, <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

(5) prohibit criminal organizations from doing business inside the city limits of Como, and <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

(6) prohibit through or in the City of Como the transportation and disposal of the remains of unborn children who have been killed by an elective abortion across state lines and carried into Texas by waste management companies.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

The Ordinance is enforced in the same manner as the Texas Heartbeat Act \u2014 through a <\/span>private enforcement mechanism<\/span><\/a>. The ordinance reads, <\/span>\u201cAny person, other than the city of Como, and any officer or employee of the city, has standing to bring and may bring a civil action against any person or entity that: violates any provision\u201d<\/span> of this ordinance.<\/span><\/p>\n

READ: City of Douglassville in Texas is 77th \u2018Sanctuary City for the Unborn\u2019 in the US<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Como Sanctuary City for the Unborn Ordinance also educates about a multitude of different pregnancy resources, including: <\/span><\/p>\n