San Antonio, Texas City Council Votes to Stop Abortion Travel Funding

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.

ACTION ALERT: Thank members of the San Antonio City Council for voting against aboriton travel funding.

Despite this victory, the ideological biases of the ten (10) 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.”

ACTION ALERT: Thank members of the San Antonio City Council for voting against aboriton travel funding.