Voters in Texas’ Second-Largest City Overwhelmingly Reject Pro-Abortion, Pro-Marijuana Referendum 

lifenews.com

Disclaimer:  This article may contain the personal views and opinions of the author.

Progressives in San Antonio pushed a proposition that sought to decriminalize both abortion and low-level marijuana possession and require law enforcement officers to issue citations for some nonviolent offenses rather than making arrests.  

The progressive language used in the proposal said that prohibiting police from enforcing abortion crimes would “promote the reproductive health, safety, and privacy of all city residents.” 

San Antonio residents said no to Proposition A with 72% of the vote. The proposal received only 28% favorability. 

Act4SA, the group that campaigned for the progressive proposal, is comprised of former Bernie Sanders presidential campaign staffers.

“We choose not to perpetuate trauma-inducing systems rooted in racism and oppression. We believe educating our community will help create more leaders who can help us push toward freedom from the oppressive carceral system we currently face,” the group explains on its website. 

“We know that comprehensive public safety reaches far past the risk management of our current institutions.”

Texas Alliance for Life had the opposite view and called the defeat of the proposal a victory for unborn babies. 

“We hope this defeat sends a strong message to those activists seeking to circumvent statewide laws that protect unborn babies from abortion,” Amy O’Donnell, director of communications for the pro-life Texas Alliance for Life, said when speaking to the media. 

“Gimmicks, like the bundling of the decriminalization of abortion with other measures, did not work in San Antonio. Texans won’t stand for it, and our cities deserve better.”

Texas Alliance for Life campaigned against the proposal for months leading up to the May 6 vote. 

“We are tremendously pleased to see that San Antonio voters have defeated Prop A so decisively,” O’Donnell said. 

“Prop A would have been tragic for unborn children and victims of trafficking who would have been left without the protection from abortion they deserve by San Antonio police.”

“Today, the will of San Antonio voters prevailed. And the will of voters across the state — who spoke through their state elected officials when Texas enacted protective laws like the Human Life Protection Act — has been affirmed,” she said.

The local police union also stood in opposition to Proposition A. 

“This wasn’t a party issue. This was a community issue,” San Antonio Police Officer Association President Danny Diaz said in a statement. 

“The work doesn’t stop tonight. The work continues so that we go out into the community so that they understand what we’re doing as police officers for them to make sure they are safe.”

Prior to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, Texas became the first state to enact a pre-viability abortion ban allowed by the courts in July 2021.  

Texas Health and Human Services Commission data show zero legal elective abortions and three medically necessary abortions performed to save the mother’s life in August 2022. 

In contrast, 5,706 abortions were performed in Texas in the previous August according to state health data. 

Following the addition of more pro-life lawmakers to the state legislature after the November 2022 elections, the state lawmakers approved $225 million in funding for the Alternatives to Abortion program designed to assist pregnant women and families in need.