AUSTIN — As businesses and elected officials across the nation attack Texas for a new pro-life state law, one group of politicians has backtracked their “threat” to Texans.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the Portland City Council decided to cancel their idea of banning travel and trade with the Lone Star State. They previously planned to boycott the state—prohibiting the purchase of goods and services from Texas and stopping city employees from traveling here—because of our recently enacted Texas Heartbeat Act.
The “controversial” new state law simply makes it illegal in Texas for an individual to kill a baby in the womb once the child’s heartbeat is detected.
The act took effect on September 1 and came after more than 53,000 babies were aborted across the state in 2020 alone, though the law still does not protect a baby in the first few weeks of his or her life.
Since its legislative approval in May, the act has sparked a wildfire of backlash, with pro-abortion businesses, media, and elected officials (including President Joe Biden and his administration) raging against the law and suing to halt it.
Biden even called the Heartbeat Act “un-American” and promised a “whole-of-government effort” to retaliate, though the U.S. Supreme Court recently allowed the law to continue while lawsuits unfold in the courts.
Additionally, ride-share companies Uber and Lyft both recently announced legal funds to oppose the law, with Lyft also donating $1 million to abortion mill Planned Parenthood.
Internet hosting companies GoDaddy and Epik have both blocked prolifewhisteblower.com, a website set up by nonprofit Texas Right to Life that sought to provide Texans with an anonymous tip form to report abortions and help enforce the Heartbeat Act. That site was also bombarded by pro-abortion spam attacks prior to being removed.
Lastly, the Satanic Temple joined the legal fight against the law, sending a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration demanding permission for their members to still kill children because of “religious freedom.”
Meanwhile, Portland officials are now bowing out of their boycott threat (a city spokesperson said the city purchased nearly $35 million from Texas over the past five years), though they are planning to instead donate $200,000 of taxpayer money to “one or more organizations that deliver programs and services related to reproductive healthcare,” and also plan to “send a letter to the Biden Administration supporting the United States Department of Justice’s challenge to the Texas law in court.”
“Portland boycotting Texas is a complete joke,” tweeted Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick earlier this month after Portland first announced the plan. “A city led by depraved officials allows lawlessness, putting their citizens in grave danger. A boycott will hurt them, not us. Texas’ economy is stronger than ever. We value babies and police, they don’t.”
Furthermore, citizens reacted to the nationwide onslaught against Texas—all because of a law to stop the killing of children.
“Imagine a world where people are mad about saving babies,” one individual commented.
“If you’re wondering which side of the abortion debate you should be on, maybe pick the one opposite of the Satanists,” wrote Texas Right to Life in a social media post.
