I really cannot get my head around the whole anti abortion movement. If you don't believe in abortion then don't have one. It's really that simple.
2
People forget that the Pilgrims came here because of to much religious oversight.
People need to practice their own religion and leave everyone else alone.
Do people not know that politicians do your bidding only for your vote.
2
Perhaps people should just mind their own business.
Abortion is a personal choice, no one else’s.
The sanctimonious, hypocrite bible beaters need to back off. Who gives these people the right to tell anyone what to do?
2
I'm about as moderate as you can get, but it's troubling that the author showed her bias towards conservatives in this article:
"a shaggy-haired pastor in a backward baseball cap"
"the room was packed with a mostly white crowd"
Neither of these were germane to the story, but seem to have been used to portray this community as backward and racist. She also clearly misquotes the sign placed in front of the Catholic church:
the “213 Texans who die each day from abortion.”
That is not what the sign says. If you're going to use quotation marks, get it right.
Pro life but if a doctor preforms an abortion they believe he should be put to death? Now that is some strange logic.
2
Nothing like religious zealots to destroy a nation. So if a father, brother or thug rapes a women her punishment is to force her to carry the thus created being to term as her punishment. And then after the birth, as usual, sell the being or just abandon the being and the women who birthed it to their own fate- usually poverty.
That is one sick religion. What next, neutering in the name of some deity? What this is really about is one set of humans forcing their fanatical religious nonsense and fantasies on someone else under a rule of law. That’s not religion, that’s power to shame and lord it over some lessor sinner. It’s I’m ‘holier than thou’ and therefore I have a god given right to run your life for you. Defy me and it’s jail or death for you. You want to live in a nation under god and controlled by zealots, move to Iran. Don’t go around here punishing women or men for your own sin of pride and to make up for your own sense of weakness.
5
Zealots and poltroons like this deserve what they get.
I only hope that they will all chip in to adopt the unwanted babies that result.
So sad.
3
Medical abortion (mifepristone + misoprostol) is increasingly popular and used. It is self-administered at home. A sanctuary law prohibiting abortion is therefore unenforceable.
What are they going to do, arrest women passing a clot?
2
Look at El Salvador—hundreds of women jailed for having miscarriages but suspected without evidence of having abortions.
@Elizabeth Cole - That’s exactly what the SCOTUS will allow. Arrest and jail anyone who either buys or uses ‘morning after pills’. And while at it do the same for any women who has a spontaneous miscarriage.
1
No greater sin in religion is there than imposing one's religious belief upon others via the power of the state. Just look at Iran or Saudi Arabia, or Taliban. Pro-birth people must feel the impotence of their prayers, churches or even the very essence of their belief, that's why they have to seek state power to limit the availability of abortion.
1
The premise of this article is deeply flawed and an embarrassment for NYT's standards. In the immigration context, on the one hand, a sanctuary city is one in which local officials do not cooperate with federal law enforcement. Such refusal to cooperate is constitutionally legitimate in our federalist system where the federal government cannot commandeer state or local officials. On the other hand, what these localities are trying to do with abortion is more like nullification. To equate the two, despite the significant legal differences, is absolute garbage.
1
If the GOP is against abortion why didn't they get a bill passed when they had a majority in both houses and trump in the WH? They're working on the stupidity of the pro life people. I'm against abortion but I also think we need to care for babies after they're born.
2
We live in divided times my friends. The advent of Facebook and the internet in general has allowed people to isolate themselves in groups with other like minded people. No dissent and no disagreement. This self perpetuating madness is tearing our country apart. From abortion to vaccines, there’s a Facebook group for that. I cannot overstate how disappointing the promise of the internet turned out to be. It’s now just a huge commerce site and a place for all kinds of fringe beliefs and movements. It would be humorous if not for the major impact these fringe groups have on people with their fear tactics, etc.
Take a look, not one woman of child bearing age is in that picture. Another case of the inflexible attempting to decide how other people should live their lives.
7
Roe should be overturned, but not because of abortions. It was a poor decision on a Constitutional basis. First, it was based on a created right to privacy not found anyplace in the Constitution, and the 10th Amendment, that red-haired stepchild of the bill of rights, reserves rights not specifically granted the Federal government to the states.
The regulation of medical procedures in all other areas are the prerogatives of the states to determine, There is no reason to allow the Federal government entry into this specific procedure.
There is a great deal of controversy on the issue of abortion, and it will never be solved since it is based on a philosophical issue; what constitutes human life and when does it start. Different states, with different mixes of philosophical outlooks, should have the right to resolve this measure as the residents of the states concur and not have a Federal mandate forded upon them. And yes, I would have the same objections to a federal ban on abortions; that would be no better than the current situation.
1
@michaelscody
Ah, the penumbra.
The problem with overturning Roe on those grounds is that it also invalidates the 1922 Supreme Court decisions that led to the doctrine of privacy.
Pierce, Governor of Oregon, et al. v. Society of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary is the 1922 decision that also allows you to homeschool, to send your children to a public school, to choose a private school for your child.
Pierce wanted all compel all children to attend public school.
Be very careful with what you wish to overturn.
This is just old-fashioned sexism. I grew up in Texas -if you believe there are no scoundrels who dress up as preachers by day you are the Lindale City Council. Sounds like a law suit had a clarifying effect on these folks with too much time on their hands.
Seriously, can you imagine some drifter 34 yo woman in a backwards baseball cap who says she is a preacher getting the time of day if she announced that she has news for male reproductive habits in small town Texas?
Do these young men with obsessions about women's health choices have similar advice for young Texas males? Immaculate conception is still rare even in Lindale I bet. Abortion rates for evangelicals is exactly the same as for the general population.
A similar man spouting the "harvest body parts" lie came to Colorado opened fire on people at the Planned Parenthood. Who did he kill? A bunch of parents.
Let's make "Consider the Source" a thing again. It cant come too soon.
6
There needs to be a national “Right to MY Life” movement in this country.
For all of the Republican conservative propaganda about protecting individual freedoms and rights, the party has focused on infringing on the rights of every American. I’m sick of it all. It is time to fight back.
28
Amen.
2
Protecting monsters on death row while ripping life from an innocent baby. Square that.
1
Sanctuary cities are wrong. If one disagrees with a law (abortion or illegal immigrants that commit a crime), then they should work with their representatives. HOWEVER, that doesn't mean they will 'win.' If you don't like abortion, don't have one. If you don't want illegal immigrants arrested, well I can't help you with that one. I guess you might hide them in your house?
2
@Ma
I think the proper place to put them is in your attic. However, that didn't work out too well for Anne Frank.
REPUBLICANS: We are going to force you to have a baby, whether you like it or not.
ALSO REPUBLICANS: We are not going to put in place any healthcare, daycare, paid leave, or any other polices that might help single mothers. If you don't like it, you should have thought about that before you had a baby.
Meanwhile, rich white girls will still get abortions. Daddy will call it rape, and the family doctor will still perform the procedure. Anti-abortion laws are only for brown people.
6
So all the babies born, whom otherwise might have been aborted, can be dropped off and will be taken care of by the town of Lindale? You read it here first.
3
Curious.... so when all these “unborn” children are born and become wards of the state, are these God fearing Christians going to pony up the money for welfare, social services, and housing for these orphans or wards of the state? My guess is... NO!
3
Where I come from we believe that the government has no business in the bedrooms of the nation.
We also do not believe that it is up to the government to tell women what they can do with their bodies.
It should be noted that the recent leader of the Conservative Party had to resign after losing the last federal election. The cause of his loss was that his adherence to these principles were questioned and found to be questionable.
2
Support and pray for the born first. Grow feelings and compassion for the abused, hungry and neglected kids that are among us. Be their voice and give them hope.
Enough with fanatics imposing their views on the rest of us.
We are individuals with independent opinions, values and emotions. Laws should be in place to protect and respect the privacy of all and never the wishes of the few.
5
Maybe they should provide sanctuary for the already born, but struggling.
2
Guarantee residents of this town will still have abortions. The daughters of the women in the photograph may already have arranged for their daughters to have abortions. But, you know, that situation was different and it wasn't someone using abortion as birth control.
2
The headline link reads "These Towns are Trying to Ban Abortion Clinics". It should more properly read "These Towns are Trying to Ban Women's Health Facilities".
5
Call it what it really is. Forced birth. These places don't see women as independent beings who deserve or are capable of making their own life choices.
4
Well, you have to admit—this stuff’s a whale of a lot easier than doing anything that’d actually help anybody. Works on elections, works on the ol’ self-righteousness for Pharisees and Hypocrites, helps keep the pesky womens in line.
Next round goes after contraception, of course.
6
If men could get pregnant, the idea that religious people could legislate what they can and can't do with their bodies would seem ridiculous and beyond discussion. And yet here we are.
7
Mr. Kayvon Richards should look closer into the history of the US from the past century, when a version of "sanctuary cities" were also called "sundown towns" existed.
Then too, people created a "safe" space by keeping people who looked like him out. Again, under the guise of "preserving values" and "way of life".
9
@newton The vast majority of Americans are unfamiliar with the basic narrative of American history. A little historical context could foster honest discussion of our current issues.
4
Find it interesting how the great majority of the people in the phot accompanying the article are women well past their child bearing years.
3
Is it any wonder these towns are poor and attract neither talented outsiders nor hopeful immigrants.
5
Moving more and more toward the right and increased misogyny.
3
When the residents of Lindale face a Democratic president in 2020 they can look to be persecuted in the same manner as their leader trump has done with sanctuary cities, cutting of their funding and harassing them.
Sanctuary against freedom of choice? Nice.
2
“Sanctuary city for the unborn.” This is a gross abuse of the word "sanctuary". Nobody is forcing women to have abortion. If they want to protect the unborn, all they have to do is not have abortion. Not having abortion is not illegal, they don't need to run away to a sanctuary city.
3
If these people actually did believe what they claim to believe they would not be so interested in what others are doing.
Religion is a source of false power over others to them that is actually restricted by our civil law.
Having lost the false power of Jim Crow and other forms of prejudiced or bigoted false power in society all they have left is religion to hide the desire to cultivate and feed these degenerate needs to abuse others behind.
3
Why don’t we build sanctuary cities to hold all the men that are responsible for these pregnancies. And why don’t we institute a sperm tax. It’s time for the other 50% to pay a price. Stay out of women’s lives! Time to remove all of the radical religions from our government and our lives.
2
Religious right basic beliefs: First, it is wrong to kill only if you do not kill our way. Abortion is murder but killing millions via using military forces is ok and/or killing by polluting our environment and/or killing due to supporting or denying global warming. Second, stealing is not wrong if you use your positions of power to steal and that is what their "next to god" Trump government has been doing by increasing the national debt by close to $3.5 trillion since he has been in office. They claim the economy is great but in turn state that government borrowing is not a problem for they support stealing from their own children. So, are you one of those hypocrites who feel that you have the rights to deny abortions while at the same time you will not commit to adopting and personally covering any and all costs related to pregnancy?
If they really wanted to protect the sanctity of life, they would petition to get rid of the death penalty in Texas. It kills more prisoners than any other state. It's like they have a fast track to execution.
2
A sanctuary city would agree to take in any unwanted newborns.
A sanctuary city would agree to provide support for mothers to be who are in any type of trouble, financial or otherwise.
A sanctuary city would agree to provide full healthcare for newborns.
A sanctuary city would not attempt to repress healthcare for women.
9
Are we America, or a collection of cities/states? Curious to me that all these "patriots" support democracy only when it suits them. If they disagree, they want to be in control of a dictatorship that enforces their own views.
There's a big difference between sanctuary cities for immigrants or against gun ownership and sanctuary cities against abortion clinics. The first two cases involve protecting other people and their right to life or to justice. Sanctuary cities against abortion clinics is merely a way of depriving others of their rights and it has no place in a democratic republic. Until the fetus is a child separate from its mother it has no rights separate from those of its mother.
1
How about a sanctuary city for no guns? Any mention of that brings all the supporters of the Constitution out to the town square.
Abortion is legal. Religion as a basis for laws is unconstitutional.
Abortions are rare where there is adequate availability of sex education and family planning. Now the girls in this town who get pregnant and do not want to be a parent will have to resort to backroom abortions or spend a lot of money to drive somewhere to get an abortion....if they have the financial resources.
My religion says that abortion is a private matter and no law can be passed to impede its availability. Does this mean we're going to have a religious war over it? That's Dark Ages stuff you are promoting.
This town should get over its "my way or the highway" attitude regardless of their so-called religion.
2
The Pew Research poll question mentioned in the article should be understood in context. It appears to have been an either-or question where the alternative was that abortion should be illegal in all or most cases. Abortion being legal versus not legal "in all or most cases" are the extreme positions in the abortion debate, and not where most Americans, including me, place ourselves. The question is informative because increasingly Americans are being left with ultimatums to support one of two extreme positions on many topics. But to imply that Americans support unrestricted access to abortion from this poll question, as the author does, is disingenuous. A more careful reading of the Pew Research poll paints a more nuanced picture of how Americans believe abortion policy should be shaped.
@Bob K.
I agree, I would like to see more nuance in this article and others in the Times.
Your readers are smart enough to deal with nuance, editors.
Readers have other places to obtain articles that cater to existing viewpoints.
And the ACLU, the 9th circuit and illegal immigrant inc. have done all the heavy lifting setting legal precedent for years empowering local groups and municipalities that choose to flout and frustrate duly passed federal laws.
That's states rights and its not always politically convenient.
1
It has long been unappreciated in conservative circles that "small government" starts with me keeping my nose out of my neighbor's business.
25
@Steve Actually, small government should have been the Feds keeping their noses out of states businesses. Abortion should be a 10th Amendment issue.
Old, white, rural, conservative, Christian.
I hope they won’t decide the presidential election. Something tells me (!) it’s not a coincidence these actions are being taken.
(Ginned up/“suggested” by GOP at a pivotal moment?) I’m thankful to read many of the comments here, especially from men.
So a sanctuary for the unborn: will they be providing extensive and comprehensive maternal care for all the pregnant women who need it? Will they be offering this important component of sanctuary to immigrant pregnant women? They are so many pregnant women all over the world who need sanctuary; it is amazing that these Christian folk seem to be offering a much needed comprehensive medical maternal care that all fetuses require to thrive.
11
@Morgan
They only care about the fetus. Once born and thus actually a human being, its just another brick in the wall.
1
@Morgan: Their history has been to be against birth control and financial aid to women with children. They also tend to be in favor of the Death penalty, and wars. I call then the "get them born so we can kill them" people.
2
@Jeff
Not just against birth control and assistance after birth.
They are against sex education in public schools.
Banning abortions leads to the criminalizing of women that naturally lose unborn children. Furthermore it endangers the life and health of desperate people in an emergency situation.
On the other hand I do not at all support that an abortion is a matter of "a woman's body". The question is whether the unborn child is already a human being. So even when it is in the body of the mother, as soon as it is human, it has it's own rights and is not the property of the mother or just an extension of her body.
@_Flin_
No that is the invention of a false argument the fake Christians use. It is literally an irrefutable fact that until the fetus is born it is not a human being it is a fetus.
Fetus die naturally right up to the moment of birth that doesn't make them human beings.
The fact that with intervention a pre term fetus can be gestated outside the womb does not change the fact that it is still a fetus until it can live like any infant born after full gestation.
4
As I examine the photo that heads this article, I see many, many people for whom pregnancy -- their own -- is simply not an issue. They're either male, or they've aged out and are too old to become pregnant without significant and expensive medical intervention.
If you aren't going to face this issue, why do you feel you're entitled to a voice?
Consider this: The US has an appalling number of maternal deaths, and its current rate of maternal mortality is THE HIGHEST in the Western world. That's right -- a higher percentage of women die in the land of the free during pregnancy, labor, childbirth and postpartum than in, say, Slovenia. It is currently more dangerous to become a mother in the US than it was in the 1960s. We are rapidly approaching the mortality rates of the pre-antibiotics US, when every extended family lost members to childbearing (as in Sybil's death in "Downton Abbey").
Clearly, pregnancy and childbirth can be a death sentence. The problem is, we don't know which women will die. It's a toss of the die.
That being said -- and knowing that medical abortion is extremely safe -- how can people condemn anyone else to a risk of death?
Cruelty? Yup. Looking at you, anti-choicers -- especially those who will never (or never again) face the burden of childbearing. You are, simply, cruel.
20
It just goes to show how effective propaganda is and how lazy people are that they trust without verifying. The article also falsely describes "sanctuaries from immigration crackdowns" no such place exists and no such action has been taken. And it falsely compares the actually illegal and law violating gun law sanctuaries with the perfectly legal and law abiding sanctuary policy.
A "sanctuary" in reference to federal immigration policy is a place where the local authorities do not do the work of enforcing federal immigration laws as part of their routine daily operations. They choose to only follow legal orders and subpoena's of which a detainer request is not either. That detainer request is literally a request to violate the law pretending to be a legal document/order. No sanctuary anywhere has ever refused to follow a legal order or request from the Feds. That is republican propaganda because they hate having to follow the law they like to beat others over the head with.
You want illegals to go? Then arrest the corporate executives who pay the people who recruit and hire them to work for them. Going after poor people desperate for a better life, the very basis of our entire population. They were induced to come here by the poverty crime and dictatorships the self same class of wealthy people created in their countries as much as for the jobs here those wealthy offer at less pay than any American would get.
5
Pro choice is the preferred term to pro abortion or pro life. I get the choice to make decisions about my life, including my body based on my beliefs (medical, religious, moral, ethical) and you get to make your choices for YOUR life and body based on your beliefs. Don’t tell me what to believe. You make your choices and I will make mine.
14
If you believe that life begins at conception, fine. This is fundamentally a matter of religious conviction. Feel free to live by your convictions. Don't inflict them upon others who don't share your convictions. You respect me. I respect you. This is simple.
16
We live in a democracy, not a theocracy, and abortion is currently a legal right. How about this: every city like Lindale will have a registered vote on making their city an anti-abortion sanctuary. If the vote passes, those voting yes will be taxed to pay for the care of unwanted births of city residents. This comprehensive care will continue until the child is 18. So, if a 15 year old homeless drug addict is forced to give birth, that baby will have a decent existence, with taxpayer provided housing, clothing, food, medical care, education, transportation, etc etc etc. Otherwise, you’re not “pro-life”, you’re just “pro-fetus”.
13
While Christians, true to their faith, help the less fortunate, the sad fact is forced birth laws without maternity and family care spread vicious inequality: Enact a law to force women to give birth (except the wealthy, who can rely on money to buy more choices), let God sort out the fortunes of the born (especially the poor, who have no choice but to rely on God for diapers and child care), then ironically title the intent behind the law as "pro-life" even though "assistance" ends after birth.
5
No one should be forced to have an abortion facility in their neighborhood. These people are following their consciences and should be commended. They do not want any more abortions and want no part of this in their cities. They will triumph.
1
@KMW No one should be forced to follow someone else's religious views but that is what you are advocating.
3
Tacitly understood: if someone in MY family needed an abortion we can travel as necessary to obtain it. But we do so enjoy our pious hypocrisy.
5
The good people of Texas are taking a stand against abortion. Why should they be forced to have an abortion facility in their towns or cities. They must continue this fight and not surrender to their principles. They should be praised.
1
@KMW What about the good people of "fill in the blank" who don't want shooting ranges/gun manufacturers/ fracking/toxic landfills/etc., etc., in their towns or cities when it goes against their principles? There are more principles in the world than the one that says full human life (not just life) starts at conception, which is not even shared by all major religions.
2
I could vote for a Democrat if he/she was pro life but never for one who supported abortion. They are losing voters like me because they do not support the unborn. They should rethink their abortion platform and include the many of us who are pro life. They would certainly win many more elections.
1
@KMW Those who claim the pro-life position have a tendency to support policy and politics which make life after birth a daunting Darwinian struggle.
5
@KMW
What do you do the support the "born" afterwards? The baby will need love, food, education, and support for 18 years. Are you willing to provide that?
4
@KMW Why is it that people like yu will fight tooth and nail against abortion but then fight tooth and nail against financial support and government services for these children you demand to be born? Why are so many of you for the death penalty and support American wars? You seem to care about fetuses until they are born then abandon them when they are people.
4
That's an interesting picture. Of 25 people, 19 are old folks, four are chillun, and 1 is undetermined. Of them all only 2, or 8%, appear able to have children. I hope that isn't representative of the demographics in Lindale, where 92% of the non-child bearing population will dictate to the 8% who can.
3
@qisl
Lindale TX: largest group living in poverty is women between 25-34, next largest group is males under 5.
I was surprised to find Lindale is actually about evenly distributed among age ranges; the smallest age demographic is 55-64.
Regardless of the motives of anti-abortion groups, policies that restrict abortion have only one outcome, and that is to punish women. Laws that restrict abortion do not reduce the number of abortions, they simply force women to seek riskier alternatives. Anti-choice people and groups either accept this as the punishment “loose” women should be made to endure, or ignore it the same way society ignores many of the downstream consequences of our actions.
I look forward to the day that the anti-choice movement is regarded in the same way as the religious right’s crusades against witchcraft, alcohol, and homosexuality, with derision and embarrassment.
32
What should be obvious to all is that when localities feel free to go against Federal law- for instance, Immigration- then those tools will be used by other groups looking got further their agenda.
If we don't like federal immigration law, then we pass laws on the federal level to combat that. We don't ignore the law.
And don't give the argument of morality or political need- both sides can play that game. We see it right now.
1
@Jonny
"If we don't like federal immigration law, then we pass laws on the federal level to combat that."
Agreed. Immigration reform (in favor of the immigrants) was George W. Bush's first priority when he took office. But then came 9/11.
Even if our elected officials in the House wanted to address immigration, the Senate and Senate Majority Leader would see that any action is blocked.
Right, so like members of this church haven't secretly used abortion services in the past. From what i know of a lot of these protestant churches there are usually hypocrites among them.
37
Most church members are hypocrites, all religions."This is how it needs to be. Except ME, of course."
1
@Bis K Correction, in my experience, all of these churches are filled with hypocrites.
A great start for prolife movement! Now let's expand this with some more super conservative, constitutional oriented prolife supreme court nominees! A Trump win in November will be beginning of the end of abortion. Make Abortion Gone Again!
2
@Rushisright! No, it won't be gone. Just moved into an unsafe back room for the poor and for the rich another state or country.
7
Can't tell if parody or the bile of an actual extremist who actually supports forced birthery, un-Christianity, and courtpacking.
2
@Rushisright! It will never be "gone," it will just go back to being extremely dangerous, often fatal. Is that what you want for your family and friends?
1
Interesting how many see this controversy as Republicans against Democrats. I'm a Democrat and probably further left than most. But I'm vehemently Pro Life. It should be obvious to all that abortion is a form of murder and nothing more than an expedient way of getting rid of the unwanted. As far as I'm concerned, human life begins at conception.
12
@Antoine
"As far as I'm concerned, human life begins at conception."
Fine - don't have an abortion and leave those who want or need the service alone to make the decision on their own or with their health care professional. You know - "Mind you own business." That should be "obvious to all."
41
@Antoine
What you say is neither obvious nor relevant to me. A fertilized egg is not a human being.
We can disagree and still get what we both need--me, to live in a country that gives me freedom to choose, and you, to live in a country where you are free to mind your own business concerning my life choices.
26
@Antoine, not all abortions are for unwanted pregnancies. There’s such a thing as a catastrophic prenatal diagnosis. Something you’ve obviously never lived through but many have. I respect your personal views so respect mine. And keep the government’s hands off my body!
26
“ A nation that throws away life”. That’s a slippery slope Mr Dickson. Every time some member of the Guns are Good crowd has a bad day and murders innocent people, lives are thrown away. Innocent people are gunned down daily in cities like Chicago because the gun crowd makes gun sales easier than buying a car. Those are lives being thrown away. Babies born into poverty with little or no chance of a decent life , those are lives being thrown away.
Dare I ask; where do women in your town turn when faced with an unwanted pregnancy?
61
“Sanctuary cities,” bleah. This is the polar opposite of sanctuary cities. Agree or disagree with what they do, sanctuary cities are about protecting people from perceived injustice. These Texas towns are mini theocracies determined to oppress women who are in a difficult place in their lives.
91
@Gus Agreed. By sanctuary these people mean keeping them safe from interacting with those whose lives are difficult, with those who have different religious beliefs than they do, with those who have other values. Their so-called sanctuary city is actually an oppressive theocracy.
5
@Gus Um, I disagree. While I'm personally pro-choice and donate as such, I don't believe that you can say this is about 'oppressing women' as those opposing abortion believe they are protecting a baby's life. You may disagree, but they are protecting the baby from perceived injustice too; it's called protecting it from death. Again, I'm pro choice, but I can at least understand the other side.
And illegal immigrants that commit a crime are NOT suffering perceived injustice. They have broken the law.
1
@Gus
You called it!!!!
2
Get government out of women’s bodies. Period.
68
@Lilly Except when it comes to vaccines
1
Telling women what to do with their bodies is an utter violation and a horror.
38
Did the New York Times forget to present that all these antiabortion sanctuary cities are building orphanages and residences for pregnant teenage girls? Will pay for all the rent and their food and their clothing and give them free childcare so they go back to work as maids or waitresses or they pay for their college education and all the healthcare while these women are pregnant? Did the New York Times forget to writeAbout that? I did not find that in any part of this article.
25
@LMDlBernardo
Show me.
So far, ten Texas towns have passed these abortion sanctuary ordinances. Most are small towns, population about 6,000. I find it very unlikely that they have the resources set up all these orphanages and residences and provide food and clothing yadda yadda yadda.
I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just saying that financially it seems really unlikely and my online research came up empty.
1
Do you have any sources to back up your claim? Or facts? Please present those.
1
Until those women do something to offend their “Christian” tenets. Or run out of money. Or both.
1
Texas, where they embraced the death penalty are against mandated health care and encourage unfettered access to guns. Yeah, they’re for life alright. A bunch of hypocrites.
72
So glad these women will be safe from unwanted abortions.
8
I can imagine that in all these “pro-life” sanctuary cities, living children go without healthcare and food without the “pro-life” folks showing any concern.
Pro-life is a total misnomer. It should be called “pro forced” birth. The minute the baby is born these misogynists stop caring because like all right wing Christians in this country, the “pro forced birth” crowd is greedy and selfish. Like all Republicans, they’d sooner watch a child starve than deny a rich person a tax cut.
Too bad the Times is too timid to call out the hypocrisy of these people.
78
@Sterling "Pro-life is a total misnomer"
Kind of like abortion being "healthcare."
@Independent Observer As long as women die from childbirth, abortion IS healthcare.
Conservatives protect the unborn...right up until they're delivered.
56
@Foosinando What does that even mean?
@Wylie Grace it means they're pro-life until birth.
2
Goose / gander. Did liberals really not see this coming?
5
@MDB - Yes, we did. This is a matter of degree, not type. What is being done here is result of reductio absurdum of state laws in Texas, Louisiana, Alabama (and maybe others).
3
@Steve
Be careful what you say around these people, they’ll think reductio ad absurdum is the devil’s chant or something ridiculous. These people insist the earth is flat, and every species of animal on earth can live in a wooden ark built by one person without the aid of math and science. These are also the people on the left side of the iq bell curve.
1
From the looks of it, a bunch of women who are too old to need abortions, and a bunch of men who don’t have to worry about getting anyone pregnant, ever. They should pour their energy into becoming real Christians.
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Not a single woman of child bearing age in the photo. That’s who should make the decision.
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@Deeg
They just understand that if someone in THEIR family needed an abortion they can afford to travel as necessary to get one.
3
“We’re really trying to protect the culture and the atmosphere that these cities already have,” Mr. Dickson said.
Read as: "We're really trying to oppress the rights of women who just so happen to live within our town's borders."
Orphanages, foster homes, kids in cages, children hungry and homeless...there are plenty who need help, love and assistance.
But this isn't about children or valuing life, it never has been.
The endless stream of people trying to control women's bodies continues.
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Seems permissible, local governments deciding what is and is not allowed while not violating the state or US Constitution.
1
“A 25-year-old woman who did not want to be named “because of the conservative nature of Lindale,” said she voted for Mr. Trump and also said that was happy abortion was an option when she got pregnant four years ago. She wasn’t ready to raise a child.”
So many Conservatives are dead set against abortion until they need one. Then it’s “ok” but just for their situation. This probably contributes to teen pregnancy and abortion in Conservative and religious areas of the US. (Texas leads the way)
36
“We are living in a nation that tends to throw away life,” said Mr. Dickson, 34,
As proven by the GOP's approach to health care.
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@jhanzel And NYC / LA / SF's inability to deal with the tens of thousands of homeless encamped in cities that are home to the country's richest residents.
1
@The ATL As opposed to how the pro life states are doing so well dealing with victims of the opioid crisis?
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@The ATL : The latest research shows that a lot of California's homeless immigrated here from other states. Perhaps if to hose other, mostly Republican states had take care of their own homeless populations they would not be coming here.
3
And of course, these communities are going to step up and be sanctuary cities for the born? They'll provide food, clothing, shelter and education for the ones whose parents can't afford it, lend a helping hand to the women whose men have left them to manage alone, and foot the bill for lifelong, obscenely expensive health care for the ones born with terrible disabilities?
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I can think of a dozen or more medical reasons for late-term abortion - heart attack, kidney failure, eclampsia, pregnancy induced diabetes, etc... and a dozen more if the woman is a hemophiliac. But pro-choice theocrats would kill the woman.
As for "life" beginning at conception, it's a zygote with less life attributes than an amoeba, so proscribing abortion is just senseless. Unless you're talking about the "soul" which is a religious word for the mind, that is not yet formed in a zygote. That would be the "soul" that Christians, historically claimed was inserted by God at quickening, the indication of an operative, if not fully formed, nervous system. Regardless, "Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion".
Abortion is, and should remain, a matter of choice between a woman and, as needed, her health care provider.
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@Brez - " ... As for "life" beginning at conception ... "
The author of Genesis would beg to differ: "2:7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." A carefully elided fact among conservative Christians.
@Steve Every sperm is sacred.
Without the culture of lawfulness, there is no civilized society. You can see the cultural decline of cities that decided to serve as sanctuaries for illegal aliens, and now we’ll see the same on the other end of the spectrum as the religious right sets up medieval sanctuaries banning women’s reproductive rights. Me, I want to live in neither of these extremes.
5
So poorer women, who can’t leave their town or county can’t go far to have an abortion. But a women with access to funds can still whisk away to get one in a far off place. Sounds fair.
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Can we drop off all the kids currently in foster care in this city? They can take care of them vs worrying about embryos and non existing kids. Love the old white men and women all for government intrusion into private lives.
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“We are living in a nation that tends to throw away life,” said Mr. Dickson, 34, who is traveling the state to rally support for his movement. “This is the time to stand and to do something. If we don’t do something now, then when?”
I bet you dollars to doughnuts most of these "pro-life" era are packing heat (carrying guns)..and support any and all police shootings of living human beings.
Oh....the inconsistent humanity of it all.
22
This is hilarious! A town of 6000 people with no abortion clinic wants to say...we’ll have no abortion clinic? Okkaaaaay. But seriously...do these people understand that abortion drugs are literally a few keystrokes away for any woman who wants them? Clinics are for legal, surgical abortions. You don’t need clinics any more. Everyone knows that. Online, anything you need is available and there’s nothing the city council of any city can do about it. If you can’t keep cheap, synthetic opioids out of the country, you can’t keep abortion drugs out either.
10
Yet another solution in search of a problem.
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@Andy - Not at all. The people fostering this solution will take steps to assure that there is a problem. It will be in the guise of businesses' "freedom of religion" to provide contraception as part of medical benefits (or medical benefits of any stripe, for that matter), and the pooling of ignorance in "sex education" courses.
Should be the right of the woman to decide - its her body and it should be her right to have the final say, not some religious hypocrites or the courts. Too many instance where the fanatical self-righteous Right to Life movement has destroyed the lives of women for far too long.
17
So does this mean I can organize my neighbors to refuse to allow churches to be built in my community? /s
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@smrpix Of course you can. As part of the process, you should also set up a Go Fund Me account to cover the legal bills when your decision is challenged in court, just like is happening with cities described in the article.
PLEASE do not let a minority of Americans frame this debate by adopting their terminology. What they are proposing is not a “sanctuary city for the unborn”. Rather, it is a place where people want to impose their religious beliefs on others in defiance of the law.
Words matter. (Think “late-term” vs. “partial-birth” abortion.) And no, NYT, quotation marks around a misleading phrase or the addition of the word “so-called” does not obviate the need for accurate, non-incendiary terminology.
20
Are these sanctuary cities equally committed to caring for the unborn once they come into the world? Where do the city policy makers and taxpayers stand on health care for all, child care, meaningful educational opportunities, affordable housing and job training? Opposing abortion without committing to all of the rest is the height of hypocrisy.
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The abortion issue is a red herring for the conservatives.
It's just a matter if abortion will be legal and safe or will move to the back allies and kill women.
8
It looks like most in the picture are past childbearing age.
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Abortion won’t go away whether it’s legal or not, it just becomes much more dangerous for those without means. What reduces abortion is comprehensive, biology-based sex Ed and universal access to birth control/plan b, IUDs, condoms, testing and the like.
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This is what happens happens when you open the door to disregarding the the rule of law, the left can’t have it both ways and say it’s ok to set up sanctuary cities where you ignore federal laws on immigration, but then scream when communities set up sanctuary cities against abortion or gun control.
20
@EAH The "Left" isn't ignoring the law.
The immigration "sanctuary" cities are just saying they won't cooperate with ICE. That cooperation isn't required, and in the case of detainer orders, are frequently found unconstitutional (holding someone past their sentence on ICE's request).
The local LE has no duty to enforce federal law.
In the case of abortion "sanctuaries", there is a constitutional right to abortion that is being impeded (the ones that aren't just symbolic). These local jurisdictions are bound by Supreme Court decisions.
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@eah fyi- none of the “ sanctuary cities” protecting Christian refugees/ immigrants are violating ANY federal laws. If so - please specify it here. The city judicial and its police are simply refusing to do a job the federal border officers are getting paid to do. Mayors of all these cities demanded to get reimbursed for the work and the federal government at this time is refusing to pay. In Obama federal admin - they paid local police to help the border patrol. That is why Obama was known as “ Deportinator In Chief”
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There is also a constitutional right to own a gun
3
Here's an idea. How about all women and all progressive corporations leave those "sanctuary cities" and let the antediluvian Texans stew in their own sty.
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@Christy
Most of the people in the Times photos are women. As usual, we are our own worst enemy.