As a state and a nation, we are in unprecedented times. For almost 50 years, pro-life advocates have waited for the Supreme Court to revisit Roe vs. Wade and Planned Parenthood vs. Casey, praying to see them overturned. In the meantime, states have tried, unsuccessfully, to enact legislation to significantly restrict abortion. But one man didn’t wait for change. He created it.
In January, we welcomed Mark Lee Dickson, director of Right to Life of East Texas and founder of the Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn initiative, as our Monthly Meeting speaker!
In 2019, the Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn initiative saw Waskom, Texas become the first city to outlaw abortion by the passing of an enforceable city ordinance. Since then, 39 cities in Texas and 43 nationwide have become Sanctuary Cities, making abortion illegal within their city limits.
Mark’s pro-life activism has been featured in various news outlets including Fox News, CNN, Washington Post, Huffington Post, and the New York Times. In this article from the Texas Tribune, Mark discusses the recent Supreme Court decision to allow the Heartbeat Bill to remain in effect as well as the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision to dismiss challenges brought against him personally. The ruling has strengthened Mark’s resolve to take the Sanctuary Cities ordinance nationwide. “Wherever we go, whether that be in Texas or Nebraska or Ohio or Kentucky or Florida … we can go anywhere now and say, look, this enforcement mechanism has survived before the Supreme Court of the United States,” he said. “It’s been tested, and it stands.”
Mark Lee Dickson’s inspirational journey and the Sanctuary Cities effort is changing the pro-life movement throughout America. Watch this Vice News interview to better understand the movement and learn more about Mark’s brave journey.