Texas Right to Life sued the City of San Antonio for dedicating half a million dollars to abortion groups.
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS — Texas Right to Life sued the City of San Antonio over the city council’s decision to create a so-called “Reproductive Justice Fund,” which will give taxpayer money to criminal organizations that aid or abet abortions in violation of Texas law.
On September 14, 2023, San Antonio City Council approved its budget for fiscal year 2024. The budget allocates $500,000 to a “Reproductive Justice Fund,” which will provide grants to organizations that pay for abortion travel and assist illegal chemical abortions in Texas.
The organizations that lobbied for this budgetary provision and hope to obtain this taxpayer money include Jane’s Due Process, AVOW, the Buckle Bunnies Fund, Sueños Sin Fronteras, and the Lilith Fund for Reproductive Equity.
These groups violate Texas law by “procuring” out-of-state abortions, which is a criminal act when any part of the procurement process occurs within Texas. The Buckle Bunnies Fund also directs pregnant women to obtain illegal abortion pills in Texas, which violates the state’s criminal abortion laws and the murder statute.
Texas Right to Life is suing to enjoin San Antonio from giving any taxpayer money to these criminal organizations, regardless of whether the grant is used for abortion or non-abortion purposes. It is a crime to donate money to organizations that “procure” out-of-state abortions in violation of the state’s abortion laws. Any individual or government entity that gives taxpayer money to these organizations becomes complicit in their criminal acts, even when funds are earmarked for non-abortion purposes. Such funding aids and abets the criminal activities of these organizations by freeing up resources for the “procurement” of abortions.
Texas Right to Life’s attorneys have sent litigation-hold letters to Texas abortion funds, demanding that they preserve all documents and evidence related to their abortion-assistance activities. This will reveal the extent to which these organizations are violating state law and expose their employees, board members, volunteers, and donors to criminal prosecution and lawsuits under the Texas Heartbeat Act.
Months ago, citizens of San Antonio overwhelmingly rejected a far-left ballot initiative that would have decriminalized abortion in the City Charter. Despite the resounding result at the polls, city council members continue to push abortion against the interests of its citizens.
Texas Right to Life President Dr. John Seago added:
“We will not allow the City of San Antonio to give taxpayer money to criminal organizations that engage in abortion trafficking and disregard the Pro-Life laws of our state. We will be taking discovery from every one of these abortion funds to expose their violations of state law and the criminal activities of their members and donors. Any other city in Texas that tries to give taxpayer money to abortion funds or abortion-assistance organizations will be met with a similar lawsuit.”
The case is led by Texas Right to Life, San Antonio Family Association, Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, Texas Leadership Coalition, Allied Women’s Center, the Bexar County Republican Party, San Antonio Coalition for Life, Unite San Antonio, and numerous Pro-Life San Antonio residents.
