(Amarillo) Abortion is already banned there, but in Texas residents want to go even further and block women on their way to have an abortion in other states.
Located in the high plains of northern Texas, the city of Amarillo has 200,000 inhabitants and is crossed by several highways which connect New Mexico, Colorado and Kansas, American states where the voluntary interruption of pregnancy (IVG) remains legal.
These roads are now at the heart of a controversy, with anti-abortion activists calling for them to be banned for women seeking abortions.
“You will no longer be able to use our highways to get an abortion,” said Amarillo resident Jana May.
The measure, described as “extremist” by many, has gained popularity among American ultra-conservative circles.
“We are facing all these horrors, like abortion trafficking,” proclaims to AFP Mark Lee Dickson, pastor and founder of the group “Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn.”
Usually used in progressive municipalities to signify the protection of illegal migrants, the “sanctuary city” formula is now being used by conservatives seeking to further restrict access to abortion.
“There are unborn children who are unwillingly transported across states to be murdered,” Mr. Dickson continued.
According to him, 70 localities across the country have become sanctuaries. Among them, most do not have more than 500 inhabitants.
Patchwork
Since the annulment in 2022 by the Supreme Court of the constitutional guarantee of the right to abortion, states have regained complete latitude on the issue, giving rise to a patchwork of legislation.
Around twenty have thus banned or severely restricted access to abortion. This is the case in Texas, a conservative state in the south of the United States where abortion is prohibited, including in cases of incest or rape.
Two exceptions – in cases of danger of death or risk of serious disability for the mother – exist, but they are so vague that doctors, worried about being criminally prosecuted, refuse to perform these procedures, even when the life of their patients is threatened.
But for Mark Lee Dickson, this is still not enough, because it is still possible to carry out an abortion elsewhere. Around ten Texas jurisdictions have therefore passed bans on travel for abortion.
“It’s very scary,” says Harper Metcalf, a member of the Alliance for Reproductive Rights Freedom in Amarillo, denouncing the action of “religious extremists.”
The measure being promoted would allow anyone to file a complaint against a person transporting a pregnant woman seeking an abortion.
However, it is difficult to imagine the implementation of such a law, which would undermine the freedom of movement of Americans.
“Arouse fear”
“These orders were not made to be enforced. They are intended to sow confusion and create fear and uncertainty, so that people avoid turning to their neighbors and friends when they need help,” said Harper Metcalf.
Last month, the City Council reviewed the measure and requested it be reworded, with a view to future reconsideration.
Mayor Cole Stanley, who nevertheless claims to be anti-abortion, admitted to finding it “inapplicable” as it stands. “This will lead to legal action,” he warned.
Courtney Brown, a resident opposed to such road blocking, believes that even though these are “their beliefs”, these people are “becoming a problem” now.
“And their beliefs become my problem,” she criticizes.
She says she fears that this measure will lead to a greater divide within the population. “All it takes is for someone to suspect that you had an abortion for them to be able to sue you,” she points out.
As the November presidential election approaches, the question of abortion remains one of the central issues of the vote.
In this context, the adoption of such bans raises questions; and even among the Republicans, worried about the electoral cost of these measures.
Because since the Supreme Court’s reversal, conservatives have lost every referendum addressing the issue of abortion at the state level.
“Nobody likes to see people have abortions,” said James, a retiree from Amarillo wearing a pro-Trump hat. “But when you put in place a measure that cannot be enforced and that pits people against each other… That’s a big no for me.”