Temecula City Council won't pursue citywide ban on abortions
The city will not be declared a so-called "sanctuary city for the unborn" -- at least for now.
TEMECULA, Calif. (KABC) -- The city of Temecula will not be declared a so-called "sanctuary city for the unborn" -- at least for now.
Councilmember Jessica Alexander recently proposed a resolution that would make Temecula a "pro-life" city that bans abortions.
On Tuesday, the city council voted 4-1 against the proposal.
Alexander said she accidentally voted the wrong way and was later able to change her vote.
The meeting, however, brought a heated discussion with people sharing concerns from both sides of the abortion issue.
"It's very important that we support being pro-life, that we're here to show that our church doesn't believe in the murdering of babies, even in the fetus," said Jere Chilton.
"I feel men can have their opinion, however, when it comes down to voting, if you decide that you don't agree with it, I feel your opinion should be non-void," said Hannah Rhoderick.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed more than a dozen new abortion laws Tuesday, including some that deliberately clash with restrictions in other states.
Most abortions are now illegal in 13 states, and others - including Texas, Oklahoma and Idaho - allow people to sue anyone who performs or aids in an abortion. Meanwhile, states like California, New York and Connecticut have been writing and passing laws to make it easier to get an abortion, with California promoting its abortion services on a state-funded website designed in part to reach women who live in other states.
Newsom this year signed a law that would block the enforcement of some out-of-state court judgments against doctors and volunteers for legally obtained abortions in California - a law anti-abortion activists argue is illegal because of a clause in the U.S. Constitution that requires each state to give "full faith and credit" to the laws of every other state.
California Democrats say the law is legal because federal courts have recognized some exceptions to that clause, including when laws in one state violate the public policy of another state.
Newsom is expected this week to sign a law that would authorize as much as $20 million in public spending to help pay for women in other states to come to California for an abortion.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
