City Votes to Make Itself a “Sanctuary City” for Unborn Babies

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   May 8, 2019   |   5:21PM   |   Riverton, Utah

A Utah city voted to become a “sanctuary” for unborn babies last week in response to pro-abortion Democrats’ push to expand late-term abortions.

Riverton, Utah, has declared itself a “sanctuary city for the unborn.” The city council voted Tuesday night to support a resolution declaring life begins “at the moment of conception” and i said unborn babies would be safe in Riverton. The council also said it would oppose any legislation weakening the pro-life laws Utah currently has on the books.

From the Salt lake newspaper:

During an emotional meeting, The Riverton City Council voted Tuesday in favor of a resolution declaring its support for unborn humans, belief that life begins “at the moment of conception” and opposition to lessening existing restrictions on abortion.

Councilwoman Tawnee McCay, who sponsored the resolution establishing the community as a “sanctuary city for the unborn,” held back tears as she made the motion to approve it. And members of the crowd erupted in cheers after its passage.

The resolution declares that “every baby is welcome in Riverton,” McCay said at the meeting. “Some have asked why we should do this at a city level. Some people say a resolution has no teeth — it’s not a state law or city ordinance. I say that we each need to stand up for our values. We need to speak up for the repressed or those that are never given the chance to have a voice.”

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But there were about twice as many supporters for the proposal — including Diane Fischer, a resident who said the resolution gave a “voice to the voiceless and a voice for the defenseless,” and Carol Manning, who argued the council had a “constitutional obligation to protect the lives” of its unborn.

McCay said she modeled the resolution off a similar one the Roswell City Council in New Mexico.

That resolution came as state lawmakers considered a bill to keep abortions legal for basically any reason up until birth, even if Roe v. Wade is overturned. The bill passed the state House but narrowly failed in the Senate last week in a surprising vote.

The resolution states that “innocent human life” deserves to be protected, and “life” is the “first declared right” in the Declaration of Independence. It supports “adoption as an alternative to abortion,” as well as resources to “ease the burden of adoption.”

The council members also supported conscience protections for medical workers by recognizing the “rights of healthcare providers to object on moral grounds to performing abortions” in the resolution.

Several council members spoke strongly for the rights of unborn babies, but one of the most moving testimonies came from Councilwoman Angela Moore, who became pregnant as a teenager and made an adoption plan for her twins, according to the report.

“And was it difficult?” Moore said. “Yes, but my point about this is that you have the option — and that’s why I agreed to adding to this. The information on adoption is expensive and all that … (adoption) it was an option of choice that we have as women. So this is a sad situation, that we’ve come to a place where they don’t think a life is a life, but at that age, I don’t think I knew any better. And until someone gave me a choice, an option, I thought that was my only option and so this is an important situation for me …”

The city council’s actions represent a growing public outcry against radical pro-abortion laws being pushed across America.