Our News Director @KaysieEllingson is at Citizens Tower for tonight’s public hearing on the ordinance to make Lubbock a “sanctuary city for the unborn.”
https://twitter.com/KaysieEllingson/status/1328826560749719555
There are about 150 people signed up to give a statement tonight and the city received 498 written statements from citizens regarding the ordinance to make #Lubbock a sanctuary city for the unborn.
Of the 498 submitted emails, 473 were against the ordinance, 22 were for it and 3 were not determined to be for or against.
In pushing the city to adopt the ordinance, Marty Gregory said to city council members if they choose not to ban abortions, “they might as well be the abortionists.”
“No one is pro-abortion,” Matt Weaver said. “Our community needs organizations like Planned Parenthood,” he continued. He said that as a man he’ll never have to make the choice to have an abortion, and as a community Lubbock needs to support its women.
An hour in, one resident whose wife was an OBGYN in the city, addressed the city. “I’ve never heard of such an overreaching ridiculous ordinance as this,” he said, nearly shouting into the microphone.
Two men attended the public hearing from Big Spring, the largest city to have adopted this ordinance recently. They both spoke in favor of the ordinance, saying it’s been “great” to see their city become a “sanctuary city for the unborn.”
1/2 As the mayor has said previously, if this ordinance is passed it will immediately become void. Abortion is legal on a federal level. Those in favor of the ordinance point to an amendment to SB 22 that passed in 2019, as means for outlawing abortion.
2/2 the amendment states that the bill does not restrict a municipality from banning abortion, however that amendment at this time does nothing. Abortion is still federally legal, trumping city ordinances.
TX sen. Charles Perry was the 57th person to speak about the ordinance tonight. He reiterated to the council that he has legal aid willing to assist the city with lawsuits regarding the ordinance free of charge.
After 5.5 hours and 87 public comments, the citizen comment portion of the public hearing has concluded. The city council is now in recess and folks have returned to the chambers to wait on a vote.
Jeff Griffith was the first to speak on the ordinance. He said “it’s not about personal belief, it’s about law.” He continued by saying right now Roe v. Wade is the law of the land. To that, several members of the audience responded, “no it’s not.”
Juan Chadis echoed Griffith’s remarks. He worries that passing this ordinance would open the city up to costly legal battles and with Roe v. Wade in tact, he cannot support the ordinance to make Lubbock and sanctuary city for the unborn.
After consulting various people in his circle, Randy Christian, shared that each said this ordinance would inevitably lead to costly legal issues for the city. As he spoke, members in the audio shook their heads no while streaming the results on their phones 
Sheila Patterson-Harris joining by Zoom as she fight through her sickness with COVID, agrees with her fellow council members. “I cannot support this ordinance,” she said, pointing to the inability to enforce it.
Massengale called out the possible political stunting that took place in trying to pass this ordinance.
“This ordinance is unenforceable and unconstitutional,” Massengale said, “I can’t support it.”
Latrelle Joy “about 95% of what I’ve heard tonight had nothing to do with the ordinance. It had to do with feelings about abortion,” she said. She reminded those who quoted scripture during their statements about separation of church and state.
She added, “I feel like the good citizens of Lubbock have been mislead and used at the attempted passage of this ordinance. It will not be survive judicial review.”
The motion to make #Lubbock a sanctuary city for the unborn fails 7-0.
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