The Dallas City Council affirmed the City’s support for abortion on Wednesday.
The council approved a resolution “commemorating the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade and affirming the city’s support for abortion rights” with 10 council members voting in favor.
The only dissenting vote came from Councilmember Adam McGough.
“I’m 100% opposed to this resolution for its practical impact, for its impact in every regard,” he said. “I’m sorry we’re having this discussion in Dallas City Council, and I, for one, as a representative of the city do not support this resolution.”
Councilmember Adam McGough not only took issue with the content of the resolution but also suggested the city council is meddling in state and national policy.
“It doesn’t make any sense to me why we’re bringing this up,” he said. “It’s poorly written, it’s poorly drafted, it deals with items we can’t do anything about, and now we’re saying we need to send this to the governor as the position of the City, which … I totally disagree [with].”
“Two heartbeats go in, and one heartbeat comes out. And that’s impactful. That matters,” McGough continued. “I don’t understand celebrating it or ceremoniously looking at laws that are gone.”
Councilmembers Cara Mendelsohn echoed the sentiment, suggesting that the resolution was “simply not appropriate for City Council, it’s a topic for state and federal governments. We literally have no say on this issue.”
“What we see here is political theater at its worst,” she added. “The resolution is meant to specifically thumb our nose at the very legislators we are asking to help solve our most pressing city issues.”
Despite McGough’s and Mendelshohn’s objections, the resolution passed.
The Supreme Court issued Roe v. Wade, the decision that formally codified a federal right to abortion, on January 22, 1973. The 50th anniversary of the case occurred 17 days before the council’s February 8 meeting.
Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court last year in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, in which the majority of the court maintained that abortion is not a constitutional right.
The resolution was submitted for consideration by Councilmember Adam Bazaldua with the support of council members Paula Blackmon, Omar Narvaez, Paul Ridley, Chad West, and Carolyn King Arnold.
The resolution claims that “abortion is one of the safest medical procedures in the country” and that “someone who wants to get an abortion but is denied is more likely to experience life-threatening maternal and infant health complications.”
“The City of Dallas is proud to support our Planned Parenthood reproductive health centers, the Afiya Center, abortion funds and practical support organizations, and other local reproductive health centers,” the document reads.
The resolution explicitly “urges President Biden to issue a budget without the Hyde Amendment … and to put forth and support policy solutions to achieve abortion justice.”
Mayor Eric Johnson was not present for the approval of the resolution as he was visiting Washington, D.C., for President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, in which the president condemned “extreme” abortion prohibitions.
The City also “urges Congress to support the Action Plan for Abortion Justice and take additional action to ensure abortion care is available without hurdles or stigma for people of color working to make ends meet, young people, LGBTQ+ and non-binary people, immigrants, and others.”
Additionally, the resolution states that the City of Dallas formally “supports the immediate passage” of the federal Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance (EACH) Act of 2021, the Women’s Health Protection Act of 2022, the Lifting Immigrant Families Through Benefits Access Restoration Act of 2021, and the Health Equity and Access under the Law (HEAL) for Immigrant Women and Families Act of 2021.
The city council received extensive public comments before the resolution was voted on.
“I do want to thank everyone for coming out,” said Councilmember Bazaldua. “I think everyone’s opinions are always valued whether I agree with them or not. And I don’t, with the majority of them.”
“I am proud to stand strong with women’s ability to have bodily autonomy and choice is something that was codified as a right,” he continued, emphasizing that “abortion is healthcare.”
After the council approved the resolution, The Dallas Express spoke with several of the local citizens who came to City Hall to express their thoughts on the issue.
“I’m a nurse, and I’ve seen abortions, and it’s very disturbing to see the remains as a result of an abortion on a sponge with body parts or less,” said Bill Denton, CEO of the Lifesavers Foundation. “For me, as I stated earlier, it’s all about love. And I wish they would have followed the example that Christ set for us and voted differently than they did.”
Laura Allred said to The Dallas Express, “I’m a Latina and I know this issue surrounds a lot of minority women.”
“This is a disappointment because Dallas is known as a city that has exported abortion around our nation,” she continued. “I’m disappointed that our council members took this social issue that doesn’t really pertain to any part of their jurisdiction but decided to make a position on it anyway when it really isn’t their place to do that, as it’s illegal in Texas.
“As a Dallas citizen, I’m just disappointed in their position,” Allred said. “I have spoken to hundreds, literally, of minority women who have been damaged by abortion physically. Their bodies are damaged. Their minds are damaged.”
