SAN ANTONIO, Texas (LifeSiteNews) — The second-largest city in Texas rejected a pro-abortion, leftist referendum during Saturday’s local elections.
Proposition A garnered only 28% of the vote on Saturday, with almost 72% voting “no” on the referendum, which included several leftist agenda items concerning marijuana, abortion, and woke crime policies.
The proposal would have prohibited law enforcement from issuing citations for some “low-level” marijuana charges and also would prohibit police from “the enforcement of abortion crimes to promote the reproductive health, safety, and privacy of all City residents and stating that police officers shall not investigate, make arrests, or otherwise enforce any alleged criminal abortion, except in limited circumstances.”
Abortion is practically unobtainable in the state due to several pro-life laws, including a novel heartbeat law that allows for private lawsuits against anyone who assists a woman in having an abortion. There are currently no abortion facilities open in the state.
If passed, it would have created a new “Justice Director with no previous experience in law enforcement, who will be charged with fulfilling the justice policy by providing a justice impact statement before any City Council vote affecting the justice policy and meeting quarterly with community stakeholders to discuss the development of policies, procedures and practices related to the justice policy in open meeting.”
It would have also prohibited the police from issuing citations for some misdemeanors, including graffiti and theft of items worth less than $100.
Act4SA ran the unsuccessful campaign to get voters to endorse the agenda. It is run by former Bernie Sanders presidential campaign staffers.
“We choose not to perpetuate trauma-inducing systems rooted in racism and oppression. We believe educating our community will help create more leaders who can help us push toward freedom from the oppressive carceral system we currently face,” the group explains on its website. “We know that comprehensive public safety reaches far past the risk management of our current institutions.”
Texas Alliance for Life supported the defeat of the measure.
“We hope this defeat sends a strong message to those activists seeking to circumvent statewide laws that protect unborn babies from abortion,” Amy O’Donnell, a spokesperson for the pro-life Texas Alliance for Life, told the media. “Gimmicks, like the bundling of the decriminalization of abortion with other measures, did not work in San Antonio. Texans won’t stand for it, and our cities deserve better.”