The Supreme Court issued its 6-3 opinion overturning Roe v. Wade on June 24, allowing Texas to move forward with a total ban on abortion. In 2021, Texas lawmakers passed a "trigger law"—the Human Life Protection Act —which will go into effect following the Supreme Court's formal judgment overturning Roe v. Wade.

Attorney General Ken Paxton said prosecutors can immediately pursue criminal charges against abortion providers based on Texas laws from 1925 that were in place prior to the original Roe ruling. This new policy sentences  a person charged with aiding another with an abortion to up to 99 years in prison, without any exceptions to rape or incest. 

The average sentence for murder is 13 years. The average sentence for drug trafficking is 1.5 years. The average sentence for rape is 4-19 years. The average sentence for first-offending pedophile is 25 years. 

This sentencing discrepancy is unacceptable, and aims to criminalize and control the bodies those who can give birth. City funds should not be directed towards prosecuting, investigating, and sentencing people who help other's gain access to abortion when higher priority crimes like crimes of violence and drug trafficking continue to afflict the Laredo community. 

Sign this petition to demand that the City of Laredo adopts a policy to not use City funds to aid in the prosecution or investigation of charges related to pregnancy outcomes, and to further adopt a policy that makes abortion charges the lowest priority items for City enforcement, except in cases where coercion or force is used against a pregnant person.