On Wednesday, October 8, 2025, the Marietta, Texas (pop. 124) City Council considered a Sanctuary City for the Unborn Ordinance further prohibiting abortion and abortion trafficking in Marietta. This was the third time the council heard a presentation on the measure. After much discussion, the City Council decided to table the measure until the November 12, 2025 council meeting.
In the meantime, the Marietta City Council is conducting a poll to give their residents the opportunity to weigh in on where they stand on the issue. Based on previous voting records in the area, it is believed that the measure should be well received in the community. In 2022, Republican Party Primary voters in the Marietta voting precinct in Cass County had the opportunity to vote on Proposition #5, which stated, “Texas should enact a state constitutional amendment to defend the sanctity of innocent human life, created in the image of God, from fertilization until natural death.” In the Marietta voting precinct, 91.25% voted in favor of the propositional statement. The Marietta voting precinct number was just below the cumulative number for the county. Countywide, an overwhelming 92.80% voted in favor of Proposition #5.
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Two years prior, during the 2018 Republican Party Primary, Cass County voters had the opportunity to vote on Proposition #7, which stated, “I believe abortion should be abolished in Texas.” During that election an overwhelming 80.03% of voters in Cass County voted in favor of this statement. Both in 2022 and 2018, Cass County was the second highest percentage on Proposition #5 and #7 in all of Senate District 1.
If passed, the Marietta Sanctuary City for the Unborn ordinance would: (1) prohibit performing elective abortions and aiding or abetting elective abortions within the city limits (2) prohibit elective abortions on residents of the city – regardless of where the abortion takes place, (3) prohibit abortion trafficking, (4) prohibit abortion-inducing drugs, (5) prohibit criminal organizations from doing business inside the city limits, and (6) prohibit the transport and disposal of the remains of unborn children killed by an elective abortion by abortion providers outside of the State of Texas from being brought through or disposed of in the city.
The proposed Marietta Sanctuary City for the Unborn Ordinance would be enforceable the same way the Texas Heartbeat Act is enforceable, through a private enforcement mechanism allowing private citizens to file civil lawsuits against anyone in violation of the law.
In August 2023, Senator Bryan Hughes (SD-1) and nineteen other Texas Senators and Representatives penned a letter in support of cities and counties passing ordinances outlawing abortion across the State of Texas. The letter read: “Currently there are over 50 political subdivisions in Texas which have passed local ordinances prohibiting abortion within their jurisdictions. As elected officials who voted for state legislation allowing these local actions, we are thrilled to see this wave of pro-life action at the local level and hope to see these ordinances continue to spread across our state – even in a post-Roe Texas. 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 places the penalty on the party who most deserves it – the abortionist and the industry profiting from the unjust procedure, including abortion traffickers.”
Since the beginning of this year, 17 political subdivisions have passed ordinances outlawing abortion including: Hopkins County (pop. 38,784), Shelby County (pop. 24,192), Camp County (pop. 13,094), New Boston (pop. 4,686), Clyde (pop. 4,051), Shackelford County (pop. 3,105), Hooks (pop. 2,769), Big Sandy (pop. 1,343), Como (pop. 758), Talco (pop. 492), Avery (pop. 462), Avinger (pop. 371), Lueders (pop. 346), Annona (pop. 288), Moran (pop. 285), Douglassville (pop. 229), and Mullin (pop. 196).
Citizens who want to see their city or county pass an ordinance further outlawing abortion are encouraged to sign the online petition at 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.
