Reproductive Rights Groups Sue over Anti-Abortion Ordinances

DALLAS (AP) – Two reproductive rights groups are suing seven small East Texas cities that have declared themselves “sanctuaries for the unborn” with anti-abortion ordinances that prohibit them from operating within city limits. The American Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit Tuesday on behalf of the Texas Equal Access Fund and the Lilith Fund for Reproductive Equity in U.S. district court in Texas. The lawsuit is filed against the cities of Waskom, Naples, Joaquin, Tenaha, Rusk, Gary and Wells, which have passed largely symbolic ordinances. The lawsuit says the ordinances label TEA Fund, the Lilith Fund and other abortion-rights organizations as “criminal organizations.”