Last Monday, the German Catholic community of Muenster, Texas (pop. 1,556) passed an “Ordinance Outlawing Abortion, Declaring Muenster a Safe Haven for the Unborn” in an unanimous 5-0 vote.

The vote made the City of Muenster, located about 80 miles from Fort Worth, the 52nd city in the State of Texas, the 69th city in America, and the 76th political subdivision in America to pass an enforceable ordinance outlawing abortion. Council Member Clifford Sicking made the motion to adopt the ordinance, Council Member Jeff Maas seconded the motion, with all five members of the city council voting to adopt the measure. The unanimous vote for life was met with applause from those in attendance.

Muenster resident Kenneth Bierschenk led the charge in the passage of the enforceable measure by signing and circulating an online petition from the Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn website. When asked why he wanted to see abortion outlawed in his city, Bierschenk answered, “I believe all life needs to be protected from birth to natural death. The unborn need someone to be their advocate and the truth needs to be told about the horrors of abortion.” In conversations with elected officials and area residents leading up to the vote, Bierschenk shared the need for the passage of the Sanctuary City for the Unborn ordinance. “Even though Texas has outlawed abortion at the state level, that does not mean our work is finished. There is still work to be done at every level of government: city, county, state, and federal.”