SAFA
San Antonio Family Association’s Response to City of San Antonio Vote to Redirect the"Reproductive Justice Fund” Monies from Abortion Travel
November 22, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
San Antonio Family Association
Phone: 210.928.7232 (SAFA)
Mike Knuffke: 210.844.0315
Patrick Von Dohlen: 210.601.7059
VICTORY FOR BABIES, MOMS, AND TAXPAYERS WHO WERE GOING TO BE FORCED TO FUND ABORTION TRAVEL!
Through the impact of the San Antonio Family Association’s (SAFA) lawsuit to hold the City of San Antonio accountable for its illegal 2024 Budget decision to fund taxpayer-supported abortion travel, the San Antonio City Council voted 9-0-1 on Thursday, November 21, to cease using taxpayer dollars for what the City of San Antonio (CoSA) calls “abortion navigation.”
SAFA would like to publicly thank Councilman Marc Whyte (District 10) for his efforts in stopping the City from partnering with criminal organizations to transport pregnant women out of state to obtain elective abortions. While the full scope of his behind-the-scenes efforts remains unclear, his public remarks in official city meetings were crucial in representing San Antonio residents and taxpayers. Thank you, Councilman Whyte.
Despite this victory, the ideological biases of the eleven (11) progressives on the City Council, led by Councilwoman Terri Castillo (District 5) and Mayor Ron Nirenberg, have led them to continue pushing policies that promote the legal termination of pre-born babies, following the Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision, which rightly overturned Roe v. Wade.
In August 2022, the City Council introduced an Abortion Resolution, and in the following months, they used a windfall payment of over $20,000,000 from publicly owned CPS Energy to fund abortion travel, partnering with the anti-parent organization, Jane’s Due Process, instead of returning the funds to San Antonio residents and taxpayers. Soon after, the Council created a line item in the $3.96 billion 2024 City Budget called the “Reproductive Justice Fund” (RJF), specifically for funding abortion navigation services, which passed on September 14, 2023.
Such a blatant disregard for human life could not go unchallenged. SAFA took legal action, filing a lawsuit on October 17, 2024, with the support of several other organizations and San Antonio residents, to protect human life and stop taxpayer abuse. While the most pro-abortion District Judge Chapa ruled against SAFA in April 2024, we have since appealed to the Fourth Court of Appeals. We will update the court on the City Council’s recent decision and continue the lawsuit to uphold Texas law and protect the dignity of all human life.
SAFA remains distrustful of CoSA, given its repeated failure to follow due process. This has resulted in numerous lawsuits, such as those against Southwest Airlines over the airport expansion and the 2019 Chik-fil-A ban, which led to a victory for SAFA at the Texas Supreme Court in 2021. Mayor Nirenberg’s comments during the City’s October 16 B Session, where he suggested revising the RJF purpose to fund sex education, contraception, and reproductive health through organizations like the YWCA, indicated that the City will continue to find ways to fund abortion travel with taxpayer dollars. Unfortunately, the majority of the City Council publicly agreed with the Mayor’s suggestion during the November 21 A Session.
This bittersweet victory means that, while the Council has redirected the RJF funds for now, it is clear that their intent to continue funding abortion travel remains. In their 9-0-1 vote, they agreed to use taxpayer revenue to fund contraception, which harms women, can act as abortifacients, and pollutes our water systems with harmful chemicals. The City staff has specifically identified the San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD) and Northside Independent School District (NISD) as targets for their “upstreaming” plans, a warning to parents and residents in these districts.
SAFA will continue its lawsuit to protect taxpayer money and tirelessly defend children and their mothers. We are confident that, with the support of the Mitchell Law Firm, led by Jonathan F. Mitchell, J.D., and Jace Yarbrough, J.D., we will prevail in this case to protect the dignity of human life at all stages.
In response to the progressive rhetoric used by pro-abortion Council members and the Mayor, Mike Knuffke, President of SAFA, stated, “They call it ‘downstreaming,’ which leads to death for the baby and devastating consequences for the mother. Life is light, and if we truly care about women’s health and the future of humanity, we must reject abortion. We should love both mothers and babies, and as a first-world country, we have the resources to do so.”
Patrick Von Dohlen, SAFA Board Member, added, “The fight continues, as the City Council has acknowledged the RJF was indeed intended to fund abortion. A majority of the Council has now publicly stated their intent to bypass this lawfully, but we will not stop fighting.”
Mike Knuffke concluded, “We know we will win, and they know it too. This victory will help stop abortion travel in Texas. This is the frontline battle, and Christ calls us to fight for the lives of innocent babies.”
On the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus, we offer this victory to God. May He continue to bless San Antonio and Texas.
SAFA also thanks its fellow co-plaintiffs, supporters, and prayer warriors for their dedication to this cause.
Matching Gift Extended—Help Us Reach Our Goal by Nov. 26th!
November 16, 2024
Dear SAFA Friend,
Great news! Thanks to an anonymous donor, our matching gift campaign has been extended—but we need your help to meet the challenge.
Every dollar you give will still be matched up to $20,000—but time is running out! With only 8 days left to donate, we’ve raised $5,620 so far, and we’re counting on your support to help us reach our goal.
Your gift will directly fund our legal fight to stop the City of San Antonio’s taxpayer-funded abortion travel plan, which would use your tax dollars to send women across state lines for abortions.
The deadline to double your impact is Tuesday, November 26th—so please act now before it’s too late!
Donate today and make your gift go twice as far.
Thank you for your unwavering support!
In solidarity,
Patrick Von Dohlen
San Antonio Family Association (SAFA)
Donate by clicking HERE or the button below!
P.S. Every dollar counts—and with the matching gift, your donation will go twice as far. Let’s finish strong!
Protect Our Future Veterans
Last Monday, November 11th, we celebrated Veteran’s Day. We’d like to thank all men and women who have served and laid their lives on the line to protect the freedoms of every American.
To continue protecting our country, these future veterans have to be given the freedom to be born. If we left the Mayor and City Council of San Antonio up to that decision, all pregnant mothers of future veteran babies would be trafficked to other states and their babies would be aborted.
We CANNOT allow our tax-payer dollars to support abortion trafficking.
SAFA’s lawsuit against the City of San Antonio will stop this from happening, but we cannot afford the legal fees on our own. We need your help. Consider saving a future veteran’s life by participating in our matching gift donation going on until Tuesday, November 26th.
Click Here to Donate to PROTECT Future Veterans
PRESS RELEASE - NOVEMBER 15, 2024
Update on SAFA v CoSA Taxpayer-Funded Abortion Travel
The SA City Council has not voted yet on the City Staff recommendation made on October 16 yet. We’re monitoring their meetings weekly.
If the Council ratifies the City Staff recommendations then they will still be violating state law using tax dollars to promote “emergency contraception” at a bare minimum. And, then two things tell us that Mayor Nirenberg & the Council will pull money out of the general fund to fund the abortion trafficking: his own verbatim comment and John “Chameleon Courage” who is running for mayor who sent out a public survey asking people how they feel about funding abortion travel thru the city’s General Fund.
Our case is on appeal to the 4th Court. It is supposed to be reviewed and decided upon without oral arguments but the 4th Court is way behind in its cases and it might even be waiting to see what CoSA Council decides to do on its pending decision on the “Reproductive Justice Fund.” Also, since 4 Republican Justices were just elected to the 4th Court of Appeals (through the help of TexasFamilyAction.com, a Friends of SAFA PAC), it’s the first time there’s been a Republican majority in decades. Therefore, if they postpone reviewing our appeal then we might have a conservative majority in place (as of January 20, 2025). That means we might win the appeal at the 4th Court and then again at the Supreme Court of Texas (SCOTX) after the City appeals to the highest court in TX.
Because of our lawsuit, City Staff recommended that the $500k only go to “upstreaming” which includes SexEd, Contraception, and Emergency Contraception” to young women especially in SAISD AND NISD; and no money towards “down streaming” of “abortion travel.”
They didn’t say it was because of our lawsuit but it’s very evident.
Help keep SAFA going please with your prayers and support. SanAntonioFamilyAssociation.com/donate
PRESS RELEASE - OCTOBER 16, 2024
San Antonio Family Association’s Response to City of San Antonio Staffers Recommendation to Avoid Using the “Reproductive Justice Fund” Monies for Abortion Travel
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For the first time, the Council has been surprised by a staff recommendation, and they don’t know what they’re going to do other than blow up the upcoming A Session vote. They aim to return to their primary purpose: reacting to the Dobbs’ Decision and assisting young pregnant women in leaving Texas to procure an elective abortion, thereby legally terminating their pregnancies. This raises the question of whether they will consider going along with Mayor Ron Nirenberg’s reluctant suggestion to support the staff recommendation for the 2024 Budget line item, while he promised to devise a backup plan to return to their original intent.
Councilman Jalen McKee Rodriguez of District 2 led the comments of disappointment, responding to the San Antonio Family Association sign that reads, “Equity begins in the womb.” He stated that this implies a woman has the right to choose to terminate her pregnancy. The focus, he suggested, is solely on her rights. Based on the reactions from what seems to be a majority of the Council, many members appear unhappy, surprised, and visibly frustrated by the City Staff’s prudent decision to avoid funding abortion navigation with taxpayer dollars.
Consequently, SAFA will continue its lawsuit to protect taxpayer money and indefatigably defend children and their mothers until the city staff recommendation is codified by the Council in the subsequent A Session or as long as necessary to halt this unethical funding of abortion travel and “emergency contraception,” a euphemism for chemical abortions. Chemical abortions harm everyone—from women to the environment—affecting sewer systems and potable water, not to mention the tragic loss of life and the destruction of evidence in potential criminal investigations.
We know that our lawsuit is a driving factor prompting the City to reconsider this 2024 budget line item. Unfortunately, it appears to be about money rather than the dignity of each human life, no matter how small.
Mike Knuffke of SAFA wishes to acknowledge the better judgment of City Staff despite contrary opinions from some Council members and Metro Health Medical Director C. Junda Woo. We also want to express gratitude for Councilman Marc Whyte’s dignified representation in attempting to change a potentially disastrous city policy that could cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.
We are cautiously encouraged by the City Staff’s recommendation to avoid “downstream” abortion trafficking but dismayed by Council Members’ ongoing calls for unnatural and unhealthy remedies for issues stemming from promiscuity and fornication. This contradicts the natural course of procreation, as intended by God in creating humanity as male and female.
Responding to the progressive terminology and euphemisms used by pro-abortion Council Members and the Mayor, Mike Knuffke, President of the San Antonio Family Association, stated, “They call it downstreaming, which is dark and leads to death for the baby and deep, dark days for the mother in the years to come. Life is light, and if we truly care about women’s health and the perpetuation of humanity, it is imprudent to kill our babies and injure women. We should love them both, and as a first-world country, there’s no reason we can’t.”
For more information, contact:
San Antonio Family Association
210.928.7232 (SAFA)
Mike Knuffke: 210.844.0315
Patrick Von Dohlen: 210.601.7059
Help SAFA knock out CoSA to defend life now.
Give at SanAntonioFamilyAssociation.com/donate
We need UR help to raise $23k in next 6 days. Any amount helps & is appreciated! TY!
Equity begins in the womb!
https://txt.so/Y7D4vU
Join Us For The First Ever Winter Dove Hunt
December 13, 2024
Attention, SAFA is hosting our very first WINTER DOVE HUNT. The hunt will take place East of Castroville, in Sesame Field, at 1:00 pm on December 13th, 2024. Lots of birds have been flying recently. $170/gun.
Priests, Seminarians, & Nuns can hunt free as guests of SAFA. Sponsorships are available to support a religious! 1 for $170, 5 for $800, 10 for $1500. Proceeds help create positive outdoor fraternal experience SAFA’s mission to protect, defend, & promote the family.
RSVP by paying at SanAntonioFamilyAssociation.com/donate. Details to follow after paid registration.
Questions? Text 210.928.7232 (SAFA)