Comanche, Texas Rejects Sanctuary City for the Unborn Ordinance

On Wednesday, June 17, 2026, the city council of Comanche, Texas (pop. 4,294) voted 3-1 to reject a Sanctuary City for the Unborn ordinance that would have protected pregnant mothers and their unborn children from the tragedy and violence of abortion. While the ordinance was first presented during the public comment portion of their council meeting on Monday, June 8, 2026, the effort to see abortion outlawed in Comanche began about seven years ago, in 2019.

After the City Council in Waskom, Texas, made history by becoming the first city in the nation to outlaw abortion on June 11, 2019, Comanche Mayor Mary Boyd expressed interest in seeing her city become one of the next cities to follow in Waskom’s footsteps. Mayor Boyd was not alone in this desire. Many throughout Comanche wanted to see the city stand for life.

In 2020, when asked why she wanted to see abortion outlawed in Comanche, Tawnya McMorris replied, “Because it is wrong and destroys the lives of everyone involved in an abortion.” Her husband, who serves as the pastor of Live Oak Church in Comanche, agreed. Pastor Ross McMorris shared, “Every single human is a reflection of God himself and therefore has massive inherent value. It is morally unsupportable to kill the most vulnerable and defenseless humans. We must speak up for and protect those who aren’t capable of doing it for themselves.” Mark Kozora, who pastored at the Comanche County Cowboy Church, said he wanted to see abortion outlawed in Comanche because “It’s murder, pure and simple.” Comanche resident Janet Garner also supported making her city a Sanctuary City for the Unborn.

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Garner shared, “Abortion is not a choice, it is the murder of a child.” Charlotte Stark agreed, “I want to see abortion outlawed in Comanche because it is murder.” Sarah Horner said Comanche needed to consider the measure “to protect the life of our citizens.” Speaking up for the unborn, Sandra and Jerry Dickey said they wanted to see the city adopt the ordinance and become a Sanctuary City for the Unborn because, “We need to be their voice.” At the time, only thirteen cities in the nation had passed ordinances outlawing abortion – all residing in the State of Texas. In 2021, when Lilian Rodriguez was asked why she wanted to see abortion outlawed in Comanche, she said, “Because I don’t think women should abort their children. God brought those children into this world.”

While the passage of the Texas Heartbeat Act, the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and the restoration of the Texas pre-Roe v. Wade criminal abortion statutes did much to advance the goal to protect pregnant mothers and their unborn children, the actions did not completely end abortion in Texas. The laws did lead to the end of abortion facilities in Texas, but the laws did not stop the spread of abortion-inducing drugs or stop abortion trafficking organizations targeting pregnant mothers in Texas and taking them across state lines for an abortion. Even in a post-Roe Texas, there was still work to be done in both the State Legislature in Austin and in cities and counties like Comanche because Texas babies were still being killed by abortion.

Recognizing this problem and remembering how the local ordinances helped pave the way for the Texas Heartbeat Act, twenty Texas Senators and Representatives penned a letter in August 2023 in support of cities and counties addressing the problem of abortion trafficking through local ordinances. Theletter read, “While it is true that abortion is outlawed in the entire State of Texas, from the point of conception, our work is far from over.

Right now, throughout the State of Texas, women are being trafficked across our borders by abortion traffickers funded by abortion trafficking organizations still operating in our state. As a result, these women are being abused and traumatized by abortion across our Texas–New Mexico border and sent back to Texas for our cities and counties to deal with the aftermath taking place in our homes, our schools, our churches, and our hospitals.” The letter continued, “The Sanctuary for the Unborn ordinances seek to protect these institutions by putting safeguards in place to protect men, women, and their children for years to come.

These ordinances, which seek to close as many loopholes as possible, do not penalize women who seek or undergo abortions, but place the penalty on the party who most deserves it – the abortionist and the industry profiting from the unjust procedure, including abortion traffickers.” When pastors throughout Comanche heard about abortion trafficking and what Texas legislators had encouraged the City of Comanche to do about it, they took the matter seriously.

During a revival on Sunday, May 24, 2026, at Temple of the Open Door Church, pastors from Temple of the Open Door, The Good Shepherd Church, Live Oak Church, and other area churches took time to pray for the effort to see abortion trafficking outlawed in the City of Comanche. In addition to spending time in prayer for the effort, a presentation was given in English and translated into Spanish to educate the public about the initiative. Elsewhere, Abiding Life Fellowship also educated the public by creating a website page that explained why they believed the issue mattered and addressed questions about the proposed measure.

Churches were not the only ones supportive of the measure. Comanche County Republican Chair Linda Kinsey, who represents the 86.78% (5,435) of voters in the county that voted Republican in the 2024 presidential election, also expressed her support. The Republican Party of Texas Platform is undeniably pro-life. Plank #218 of the Republican Party of Texas 2026 Party Platform reads, “Abortion is not healthcare; it is homicide. Until the abolition of abortion is achieved, we support laws that restrict and regulate abortion, including but not limited to… (l) Supporting the right of Texas political subdivisions to protect mothers and their preborn children in their communities by passing enforceable city or county ordinances that further ban abortions within their county or city limits, closing loopholes in state abortion laws.”

Another plank – Plank #58 – reads, “We support legislation to prohibit the use of any private or government funds, as well as the abortion trafficking of pregnant women across Texas state lines, by land, water, or air, for the purpose of procuring an elective abortion and for the provision of a private right of action against all persons and organizations who aid and abet in the harming of the woman, and the killing of her preborn child.”

Seven years, 97 cities, and 23 counties after Mayor Boyd first expressed interest in the initiative, the ordinance was placed on the Comanche City Council’s agenda for consideration. At that special-called meeting on Wednesday, June 18, 2026, an ordinance was considered that would have further prohibited abortion and the abortion trafficking of pregnant mothers across state lines for abortions. This prohibition included prohibiting minors from being taken across state lines for abortions without parental consent. The ordinance also included a provision prohibiting Texas waste management companies from treating aborted babies as trash in the City of Comanche. The ordinance was identical in substance to those already passed in over 50 cities and counties in Texas.

While the majority of those who spoke at the special council meeting opposed the measure, it did have supporters. Abiding Life Fellowship Senior Pastor Zac Griffith and Live Oak Church Pastor Ross McMorris both spoke on behalf of their church, advocating for the unborn.

Councilwoman Jackie Escobar-Gutierrez was the first on the city council to express her opposition to the measure. Despite Sanctuary City for the Unborn ordinances having been passed in 81 cities in Texas, Escobar-Gutierrez took issue: (1) with the private enforcement mechanism used in the proposed ordinance, expressing that she did not understand how it would work, and (2) took issue with the fact that the ordinance was written by Attorney Jonathan F. Mitchell, the same attorney who wrote the Texas Heartbeat Act.

Mayor Pro-Tem Esmeralda Cumba was the second to express her opposition to the measure. Cumba’s argument was that parents should handle the matter themselves, at home, without the use of an ordinance to deter abortion traffickers from taking minors across state lines for abortions without parental consent. While it was not believed to be her intent, the statement sent a strong message that abortion traffickers have free rein to traffic minors through the City of Comanche.

While Councilman Rick Griffith attempted to table the measure, hoping more education would sway the rest of the council to support it, the other council members were not having it. Griffith’s motion died for a lack of a second.

Councilwoman Escobar-Gutierrez then made the motion to reject the ordinance. The motion was quickly seconded by Councilman Jimmy Cuellar. Upon a full vote of the city council, Councilwoman Escobar-Gutierrez, Councilman Jimmy Cuellar, and Mayor Pro-Tem Esmeralda Cumba all voted against the pro-life measure. Councilman Rick Griffith was the only councilman who voted against rejecting the pro-life measure. Councilman Shane Stalnacker was not present for the special-called council meeting.

While Mayor Mary Boyd and Councilman Rick Griffith expressed great disappointment with the outcome of the vote, they were not the only ones in the community who wished the vote had gone differently.

After the vote, Abiding Life Fellowship Executive Pastor Brad Carter shared, “Now we know what’s more important to the City of Comanche, Texas City Council – ‘Re-election’ is. Voted against the UNBORN. Voted against saving babies from being aborted, and young girls being trafficked across state lines to have abortions. Just one vote in favor to make Comanche a Sanctuary City for the Unborn, and that was it.” Pastor Carter continued, “Just to be clear, to be silent on these issues is to be in favor of them, no matter what you say you believe.”

Temple of the Open Door Pastor Felix Gutierrez IV shared, “I am troubled by this decision… My concern is rooted in a belief that life is sacred, and that our decisions as a community are never just political — they are also moral and spiritual. But what weighs most heavily on my heart in this moment are the words of Jesus in Mark 8:38: ‘If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father.’ That verse is not political to me — it is personal. It is a warning I cannot ignore. My concern is not anger toward anyone on council, but a burden about what it means for us, as believers, when we are given moments to stand for what we believe and choose not to.”

Live Oak Church Pastor Ross McMorris shared, “I’m deeply disappointed by the failure of Comanche’s city council. So many people think that the problems today that abortion brings should be handled by either the state or national government, but it’s the duty of all governments to do EVERYTHING they can to protect the lives of the people they are created to serve. It is one of the most basic and essential functions of government. It is one of the most basic and essential functions of government. That means we are morally obligated to do everything we can on every level.”

McMorris continued, “Comanche’s city council, minus the one pro-life vote, chose to remain passive and abdicate that inviolable responsibility to someone else. We all bear that responsibility to protect those who are unable to protect themselves. Every city, county, state, and federal official. And every individual. We must, and will, try again.”
Out of the 98 cities and 23 counties across 7 states that have passed local ordinances further outlawing abortion in their community, a total of 81 of those cities and 21 of those counties reside in the State of Texas. While the Comanche City Council did not choose to stop abortion trafficking on Wednesday, the citizens of Comanche regard this fight as far from over.
Those interested in seeing their city or county pass an ordinance further outlawing abortion are encouraged to sign theonline petition on the Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn website.

LifeNews Note: Mark Lee Dickson lives in Texas and is the founder of the Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn Initiative.