On Tuesday, the City Council of Mullin (pop. 196) passed an “Ordinance Outlawing Abortion, declaring Mullin a Sanctuary City for the Unborn” in a unanimous 5-0 vote.
The vote made the City of Mullin, located between the cities of Goldthwaite (pop. 1,878) and Early (pop. 3,296) on U.S. Highway 84/183, the 54th city in the State of Texas and the 71st city in the nation to pass an ordinance prohibiting abortion.
The measure was introduced by City Manager Dexter Morris. Following a presentation from Right to Life Across Texas, Councilman Rex Williams moved to adopt the ordinance. Councilwoman Nita Fraizer seconded the motion, which led to the measure’s unanimous passage with Skyler Gilmore-Bradley, Sheri Minard, and Royce Roberts in full support.
Mullin City Council
When Mullin resident Sherrie Shelton heard of the Sanctuary City for the Unborn ordinance, she said, “That is just common sense.”
Pastor Randy Bradley from Mullin First Baptist Church felt the same way.
After Tuesday night’s vote, Pastor Bradley shared, “I was moved by the willingness of our city council to take such a bold stand for the lives of the unborn. I am overjoyed at being part of a community which passed this ordinance unanimously. So often it feels like the important matters of the world are out of our hands, but this brings it down to the local level right in the hands of everyday folks.”
Mullin is the first city in Mills County to pass such an ordinance and the seventh city in the Heart of Texas – Waco Area region to pass a ‘Sanctuary City for the Unborn’ ordinance. Other cities in the region include: Centerville (pop. 892), Crawford (pop. 733), Leona (pop. 190), Little River-Academy (pop. 2,048), Marquez (pop. 313), and Normangee (pop. 778).
The Mullin Sanctuary City for the Unborn Ordinance is enforced in the same manner as the Texas Heartbeat Act—through a private enforcement mechanism. The ordinance reads, “Any person, other than the city of Mullin, and any officer or employee of the city, has standing to bring and may bring a civil action against any person or entity that: violates any provision” of the ordinance.
The six provisions of the Mullin Sanctuary City for the Unborn Ordinance:
(1) prohibit performing an elective abortion and aiding or abetting elective abortions within the city limits of Mullin,
(2) prohibit elective abortions on residents of Mullin—regardless of where the abortion takes place,
(3) prohibit abortion trafficking through the City of Mullin,
(4) prohibit the mailing of abortion-inducing drugs into the City of Mullin,
(5) prohibit criminal abortion organizations from doing business inside the city limits, and
(6) prohibit Texas waste management companies from transporting the remains of unborn children who have been killed out-of-state by elective abortion through or in the City of Mullin.
The ordinance, which has a six-year statute of limitations, is clear “a civil action … may not be brought: against the woman upon whom the abortion was performed or induced or attempted to be performed or induced in violation of this ordinance, or against a pregnant woman who intends or seeks to abort her unborn child in violation of this ordinance.”
In addition to providing protections for pregnant mothers and their unborn children, the ordinance also educates about the Thriving Texas Families Program and directs people to the Texas Pregnancy Care Network website.
If needed, Pastor Bradley shared that he would make sure that any Mullin resident would have a ride to one of the two closest Central Texas Pregnancy Care Center offices, located 11 miles away in Goldthwaite or 25 miles away in Brownwood.
The only other Mills County city that could consider the ordinance in the future is Goldthwaite. Due to a law passed in 2021, Mills County could also consider the passage of a similar ordinance. The odds of such an ordinance gaining traction appear to be in favor of the unborn.
During the 2024 presidential election, 88.18% (2,418) of voters in Mills County voted for Trump, while only 11.31% (310) voted for Harris. During the 2022 Republican Party Primary, voters had the opportunity to voice whether they were for or against the following statement: “Texas should enact a state constitutional amendment to defend the sanctity of innocent human life, created in the image of God, from fertilization until natural death.”
In Mills County, 86.92% (1,156) voted in favor of Proposition #5, and 13.08% (174) voted against Proposition #5.
Residents of Goldthwaite or Mills County who wish to see their community become a Sanctuary for the Unborn are encouraged to sign the online petition found on the Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn Initiative website.
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