Focus on abortion: Debate gearing up at Clovis city meeting

Both sides of a debate over whether abortion clinics can operate in the Clovis city limits are making plans on what they want to say at Thursday’s Clovis city commission meeting.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 5:15 p.m.

An ordinance that forbids the issuance of a business license to any abortion clinic that does not comply with an 1870s federal law regarding shipment and accessing items used in the abortion business is on the agenda.

“Is Clovis going to be a city that allows abortion within its city limits?” Ryan Denton said. Denton is pastor of Grace Covenant Reformed Church in Clovis and the Lubbock Reformed Church. “The citizens of Clovis are behind this ordinance. We’re confident that the officials are going to represent the people in this.”

Laura Wight of Clovis is co-founder of Eastern New Mexico Rising, what she calls a non-partisan progressive action group.

She and members of her group see the “sanctuary city for the unborn” ordinance as a way to deny women health care and to deny doctors and health care workers employment.

“We are having our members email commissioners,” Wight said. “That’s primarily so that if everyone doesn’t have a chance to speak they have sent their talking points to the commissioners.”

Denton said he and supporters of the ordinance have been communicating with commissioners also.

“We’re talking to the city commissioners, talking to the mayor,” Denton said. “Just encouraging them to make a decision that honors Christ and represents the people.”

Wight said members of Eastern New Mexico Rising met Sunday afternoon and talked about having a clear outline of what they have to say at the commission meeting.

Wight and members of Eastern New Mexico Rising also met with Clovis Mayor Mike Morris and City Attorney Jared Morris and achieved a goal in what Wight termed a “safety thing.”

“When we speak we only have to give our names and that we are a resident of Clovis,” Wight said.

Some members of the group are concerned in giving an address with their name that “extremists” who disagree with where they stand on the issue may target their homes, she said.

Denton said Thursday’s commission meeting will be preceded by a rally in front of the library starting at 4:45 p.m.

Denton said the east Texan who spearheaded the crafting of the ordinance, Mark Lee Dickson, will be at Thursday’s session along with residents of Lubbock who were “involved in seeing abortion outlawed in their city.”

“We have 30 pastors that all want to speak at it,” Denton said.

Wight said if the measure passes there’ll be a “re-grouping.”

“We’ll start taking a look at what we can support statewide,” Wight said. “The governor has made it clear that if she is re-elected she will do what she needs to do to solidify abortion access and we will support that.”

Wight said her group will also be looking at politics in eastern New Mexico.

“We had members of our group say when they went to vote that there are just primarily conservative candidates, some running unopposed,” she said. “It’s a disappointment that there weren’t more progressive candidates on the ballot.”