Ellis County, Texas is a Sanctuary for the Unborn

Upon seeing that there were recently some new Sanctuaries for the Unborn in Texas and elsewhere, I decided to do some digging and discovered that on January 28, 2020, Ellis County, Texas voted unanimously (5-0) to approve a resolution declaring themselves the first Sanctuary County for the Unborn in the State of Texas.

We were able to get a copy of the resolution and will include it below.

RESOLUTION OF THE ELLIS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT, DECLARING THE COUNTY OF ELLIS, TEXAS TO BE A SANCTUARY FOR THE UNBORN AND URGING THE CITIZENS OF THE ELLIS COUNTY TO PROMOTE AND DEFEND THE UNALIENABLE RIGHT TO LIFE AND THE INHERING DIGNITY OF ALL HUMAN BEINGS, INCLUDING THE PRE-BORN, FROM CONCEPTION OR FERTILIZATION THROUGH ALL STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT

WHEREAS, the Declaration of Independence affirms that all men are created equal and have been endowed by the Creator with unalienable rights–chief among them being the right to life–and that the protection of these rights is an affirmative duty of federal, state, and local governments; and

WHEREAS, a surgical or chemical abortion is the purposeful and intentional termination of the life of a child in the womb, with unique DNA and personhood, and is thus by definition an act of murder; and

WHEREAS, the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution provide for the protection of human life and liberty; and

WHEREAS, the Supreme Court of the United States in Poelker v. Doe (432 US 519, 1977) concluded that “the Constitution does not forbid a State or city, pursuant to democratic processes, from expressing a preference for normal childbirth” instead of abortion; and

WHEREAS, state police power derives from the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which gives states the powers “not delegated to the United States;” and

WHEREAS, the power to establish and enforce laws protecting the welfare, safety, and health of the public is a core function of the state’s Tenth Amendment police power; and

WHEREAS, Chapter 2272 of the Government Code, prohibits any political subdivision of the State of Texas from using taxpayer dollars to fund any abortion provider or an affiliate of an abortion provider; and

WHEREAS, Section 2272.005 of the Government Code, grants Ellis County the power to ban abortions within its jurisdiction, meaning the county unincorporated areas; ad

WHEREAS, the Ellis County Commissioners Court desires to express its deep concern that all human beings, at every stage of development, including before birth, in the county of Ellis should be afforded protection from acts of cruelty, and be treated humanely and with dignity; and

WHEREAS, the Ellis County Commissioners Court affirms its commitment to use any legal means available necessary to protect the unborn; and

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED

1. Ellis County Commissioners’ Court hereby recognizes and declares the full humanity of the preborn child and declares Ellis County to be a sanctuary for the preborn where the dignity of every human being will be defended and promoted from conception or fertilization through all stages of development.
2. Ellis County Commissioners’ Court hereby resolves to present an ordinance in order to enforce the intent of this resolution by any means within its power, in accordance with its responsibility as the people’s elected local representatives.

Signed this 28th day of January, 2020.

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