Texas abortion law: Alvin city council member Joel Castro proposes ‘sanctuary city for unborn baby’ ordinance

“What we are trying to do is be as pro-life as possible,” said Joel Castro, the council member behind the ordinance.

The 22-year-old said Texas’ recent anti-abortion law, which bans abortions starting at six weeks pregnant, doesn’t go far enough.

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“For me, I would like to see abortion outright banned,” Castro said.

The ordinance not only declared Alvin a sanctuary city for the unborn, which would ban abortion procedures, but also declared abortive drugs as contraband. The ordinance also urges the Brazoria district attorney to prosecute anyone who assists or has an abortion, including drivers, organizations, and individuals who assist a woman in the process.

Castro said they did not penalize the woman doing the procedure. Instead, he is targeting clinics that offer abortion services, although none currently exist in Alvin.

“It would prevent any other abortion facilities from being built in Alvin,” Castro said. “It’s a more proactive ordinance that can be pro-life and become a sanctuary city for the unborn.”

He also said he worked with the Texas Right to Live group to come up with the ordinance, which is similar to the bans passed in Lubbock and 38 other Texas cities.

“If we get through this, we’ll be the 40th city in Texas to do it,” Castro said.

The ban has exceptions for abortion procedures if the mother’s life is at risk, and Castro said he plans to add an amendment to include rape and incest cases as exceptions. .

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Alvin City Council will review the agenda items on Thursday. It could also go to a vote on the same day, and if passed, the city manager said it would take effect immediately.

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