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Protecting, defending, and promoting the family, the Building Block of Society

City Funding Abortion by CoSA Mayor & City Council

Press Release on Direct Abortion Funding by CoSA Mayor and Council

For Immediate Release

September 22, 2023

News Release: San Antonio Taxpayers will now directly fund abortion

On Thursday, September 14, 2023, the San Antonio Mayor and City Council voted 10-0-1 to approve the city’s 2024 Fiscal Year Budget. Within the almost $3,800,000,000 budget, progressive Mayor Ron Nirenberg and nine (9) Council Members agreed to force taxpayers to pay for $500,000 of direct abortion funding for the first known time in 305 years of the municipalities’ history.

According to statements made by these pro-abortion politicians, women deserve “reproductive justice” where they have access to unlimited “abortion care” that the state of Texas has prohibited after the US Supreme Court released its ruling on the Dobbs v. Jackson case on June 24, 2022, that sent abortion regulation back to the states.

Immediately following the SCOTUS ruling, Teri Castillo, San Antonio Councilwoman District 5 and self-proclaimed Catholic, sponsored a non-binding “Abortion Resolution” that was passed 9-2 on August 2, 2022, that laid the groundwork for two official efforts to promote unfettered access to abortion.

The first was a ballot measure called the “Justice Charter” which was listed as Charter Proposition A on the May 2023 municipal ballot. Even though the constitutionality of the Proposition was justly contested, the Supreme Court of Texas ruled that it could be on the city’s ballot as a special election. On May 6, the voters of San Antonio resoundingly defeated and said no to the legalization of abortion, marijuana, a city “Justice” czar, and three other progressive ideas that would have also defunded the police.

Even after San Antonio voters defeated Prop A by over 71%, the ultra-progressive Mayor and City Council were bound and determined to do their “religious” part to promote abortion on demand, paid for by taxpayers. Consequently, about ten days before the scheduled city budget vote, the idea of a “reproductive justice” fund was floated publicly by the infamous Jane’s Due Process which spends its time and energy circumventing parents and parental authority to obtain a Judicial Bypass for pregnant teen girls to procure an abortion without parental knowledge or approval. Most every city budget hearing had already transpired and yet a whirlwind of resident disapproval swept the city. The abortion advocate Teri Williams, District 5 Councilwoman pushed the new line item forward with the support of Mayor Nirenberg, and Council Members Sukh Kaur (District 1), Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (District 2), Phyllis Viagran (District 3), and John Courage (District 9).

According to the Express-News, after the Council meeting, District 5 Councilwoman Teri Castillo was more explicit, saying in a statement that the fund could be used to provide financial assistance to people traveling out of state to access abortion. She continued saying,

“The Reproductive Justice Fund will make clear to San Antonio residents and Texans across the state that San Antonio is committed to protecting the rights of women and all individuals in their pursuit of comprehensive reproductive and sexual healthcare.”

The day prior to the official city budget vote, on Wednesday, September 13, during the Council B Session, the aforementioned Council Members even suggested their desire to take $500,000 from Morgan’s Wonderland that tries to assist special needs children to then add it to the “Reproductive Justice” fund to target more unwanted pregnancies to coerce more teen girls to eliminate special needs children in the womb. Can they be so obtuse as to think they can end the need for assistance of special needs children who make it out of the womb? Fortunately, this idea to get their special interest fund to $1,000,000 didn’t pass.

This is the new line-item budget amendment that was presented and approved by City Council the next day:

COMMUNITY HEALTH REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE FUND: An annual budget line item of $500,000 to create a “Reproductive Justice Fund” managed by Metro Health for the purpose of directly funding and supporting community-based organizations that provide comprehensive reproductive and sexual healthcare services, resources, and education to San Antonio residents.

According to KSAT12, the community-based organizations that are being considered are all radical pro-abortion zealots include:

The City of San Antonio, which is managed by city manager Erik Walsh, who is a Central Catholic alumni, sent out a text on Friday, September 15 that stated: COSAGOV has adopted the budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The budget focuses on keeping San Antonio safe, property tax relief, enhancing quality of life and improving customer service.

Another Central Catholic alumni, City Attorney Andy Segovia said that providing transportation and lodging to people seeking out-of-state abortions is not a criminal act, but that it could make the city vulnerable to civil lawsuits, according to the Express-News.

Interestingly, the City of San Antonio (CoSA) had previously hired Chichi Junda Woo who was a licensed abortionist and former Planned Parenthood South Texas medical director, to help run the San Antonio Metro Health Department (SAMHD) as its medical director. Could it be that this was planned all along? Now these new direct abortion funds will be directed, even weaponized, by a woman whose only experience in public health prior to 2018 was to perform abortions for money.

At a Press Conference hosted by the San Antonio Family Association before the vote, Patrick Von Dohlen, a Board Member of SAFA stated, “It’s important to note that all the city elected officials who supported this abuse of tax dollars to harm women, kill children, and destroy families are Democrats who have openly supported Democrat politicians running for President. We all know politics is local but it’s obvious that this a Democrat National Party agenda to target women in crisis pregnancies to have abortions to kill their children that cause depression, suicide, and generational poverty so the Democrats can increase people’s dependence on government, grow the size and scope of government, and achieve their goal of making government their new god. I would know this as I grew up in a Democrat Catholic family until that Party stopped being ProLife in the 1980’s. The City Council has now violated criminal law and put taxpayers on the hook for it.”

During the citizens to be heard portion of the Council an A Session on Thursday, September 14, seven (7) citizens spoke against the “reproductive justice” fund and zero (0) spoke in favor of it.

After Council deliberations the vote was taken, and the mayor and eight council members voted in favor of the budget that included the new line item for the “reproductive justice” fund, while the lone Republican on the Council, Marc Whyte of District 10, abstained. Marc Whyte stated that he abstained from the vote because he could not vote for the new direct abortion funding, but supported other parts of the budget that included more policeman to protect and serve the community. At least he didn’t walk out on the previous vote like three councilmen did on the pro-abortion “Prop A” to allow that illegal charter amendment on the last city election ballot in May.

The San Antonio Family Association will act to protect women and children and uphold state law. CoSA has embraced an ideological mandate over scientific medical facts and violated our 1st Amendment Rights, specifically our freedom of religion in the process.

SAFA President, Mike Knuffke stated, “SAFA will utilize the state’s Heartbeat Act, the Human Life Protection Act, HB2721, and any other applicable law to defend women and protect unborn children and respect taxpayers.”

For more information, contact the San Antonio Family Association.

[email protected] | 210.928.7232 (SAFA)