Some local officials in liberal enclaves within red states say they won't help enforce bans on abortion if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.
The big picture: Cities have a "wide range of powers they can draw on to try to safeguard and expand access to reproductive health care, including abortion," said Andrea Miller, president of the National Institute for Reproductive Health, an organization that supports abortion rights.
Driving the news: José "Chito" Vela, a member of the city council in Austin, has proposed a resolution to decriminalize abortion locally, even as Texas has one of the most restrictive anti-abortion laws in the country.
Jenna Hanes, a spokesperson for Vela, said his office has been in contact with lawmakers in several other cities, including Dallas, San Antonio and Houston, who are interested in advancing similar measures.
That's an echo of the "sanctuary cities" that don't aid in federal immigration enforcement.
The other side: At least 49 cities have passed ordinances to ban abortion even though it's still, for now, protected by federal law, according to Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn, an anti-abortion group focused on helping localities outlaw abortion.
These bans "have not prevented people from accessing abortion," Carrion added, noting that most of those cities do not have abortion providers in them. »