The Roosevelt County Commission considered a life-saving ordinance Tuesday to prohibit abortion facilities from opening in the eastern New Mexico county.
KRQE reports Commissioner Rodney Savage proposed the land use ordinance earlier this fall after Texas, which borders Roosevelt County, banned abortions and abortion businesses began looking to move to border towns in New Mexico.
However, the commissioners tabled the ordinance after Savage brought up legal problems with his proposal. He said he plans to introduce another pro-life ordinance at the meeting in December that is similar to the one the City of Hobbs passed earlier this month. The City of Clovis and Lea County Commission also are considering the pro-life measure, he said.
“I think it’s obvious that every member on this commission is pro-life,” Savage said. “If there’s any way we could save life, then we want to do it. We’re all against the murdering of babies.”
However, he said the ordinance that he initially proposed has a lot of legal problems. If the county wants to enforce it, he said state statutes require that the county create a comprehensive land use plan, pass new zoning codes and other measures.
ACTION ALERT: To support the measure, Contact the Roosevelt County Commission.
Without these, Savage said the county would not be able to enforce the ordinance and, therefore, unable to protect unborn babies’ lives. The county also could be targeted with lawsuits, he said.
The Roosevelt County Commission recently passed a pro-life resolution to voice its support for unborn babies’ right to life. However, the measure is not legislative action but a statement of support.
New Mexico allows unborn babies to be aborted for any reason up to birth, and Democrats control the state legislature and governor’s office.
A growing grassroots movement is working to protect unborn babies at the local level. To-date, 61 cities in Texas, Ohio, Nebraska and New Mexico have passed Sanctuary City for the Unborn ordinances that protect unborn babies by banning abortions and/or abortion facilities within city limits.
Other cities and counties have passed pro-life resolutions, which are statements of support but not enforceable law, that recognize unborn babies’ right to life. In Arkansas, 19 counties and 10 cities and towns have passed pro-life resolutions, according to Family Council of Arkansas. Several North Carolina counties passed pro-life resolutions recently, too, and the New Mexico county commissioners of Otero approved a resolution in July condemning the pro-abortion laws in their state.
ACTION ALERT: To support the measure, Contact the Roosevelt County Commission.
