Three Texas communities -- Big Spring, Colorado City and Rusk -- have thumbed their collective noses at a legal activity that I acknowledge fully has its sworn enemies.
The cities all have created what they are calling "Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn." They have declared that abortion is illegal in their cities and I will presume women who obtain them are subject to criminal prosecution.
Abortion-rights activists are furious, as they should be. Why? Well, it's a simple notion, truth be told. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1973 that a woman's right to terminate a pregnancy was legally protected under federal law. Subsequent high court rulings have upheld the landmark Roe v. Wade decision.
Thus, the activity remains legal. Does it produce a desirable outcome? Of course not. However, I am in no position -- nor is anyone else, for that matter -- to dictate to a woman how she must make such a gut-wrenching decision. That is her call in consultation with her partner, her physician … and her conscience.
The Texas Tribune reports: "The American Civil Liberties Union has said it is seeking to strike them down. Three towns -- Mineral Wells, Omaha and Jacksboro -- have voted down similar ordinances or walked them back under advice from city attorneys."
Big Spring, Colorado City and Rusk haven't yet made their decisions final.
I am all for local control. I dislike states telling cities and towns that they cannot, for example, install electronic devices to help police enforce traffic laws. However, the U.S. Constitution remains the law of the land and in the case of abortion, the Supreme Court already has stood behind the Constitution as the final arbiter on the inflammatory issue of whether a woman can choose to terminate a pregnancy.
Texas already has told cities they cannot create sanctuaries to shield undocumented immigrants from deportation. Yes, I am aware of the intense political differences between illegal immigration and abortion.
But the Texas cities that are seeking to create "sanctuaries for the unborn" need to prepare for a fight that they should not win.
John Kanelis, former editorial page editor for the Amarillo Globe-News and the Beaumont Enterprise, is also a former blogger for Panhandle PBS in Amarillo. He is now retired, but still writing. Kanelis can be contacted via Twitter @jkanelis, on Facebook, or his blog, www.highplainsblogger.com.Kanelis' blog for KETR, "Piece of Mind," presents his views, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of KETR, its staff, or its members.
Kanelis lives in Princeton with his wife, Kathy.
