DENTON, Texas — Denton became one of the first cities in the state to take official action supporting abortion rights following the Supreme Court’s overturn of Roe v. Wade.

After more than three hours of public comment and discussion at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, council members voted 4-3 in favor of resolution that, as written in the council agenda, "affirms the rights of individuals to make private reproductive decisions and deprioritizes use of city resources for investigation and enforcement of laws related to reproductive health care."

Council member Allison Maguire, who proposed the resolution, told a crowd of demonstrators before the vote that the measure does not make Denton some sort of sanctuary for abortion or require local police to not enforce state abortion laws. She said, rather, it encourages the city’s police and staff to make enforcement of any new abortion laws as "low priority."

Maguire said that the resolution, in addition to supporting women and those able to get pregnant, also supports groups that will aim to help women get the care they need in this new "post-Roe" era.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has made it clear that a Texas trigger law will soon go into effect and essentially make most abortions illegal in the state. Leaders at several abortion funds and assistance groups — groups that help Texas women access and pay for abortive care — have said it’s unclear how the new state laws will affect their work and their ability to provide that help. Maguire hopes Denton’s resolution, with support from local police, will allow them to continue doing their work.

“They need the security to do their work free from interference, and that’s where this resolution comes in,” said Maguire.

Maguire also told supporters that, ultimately, they can only make recommendations to local police to deprioritize enforcement of those laws, and that they’d have little say with non-city agencies who carry jurisdiction in the city, including the Texas Rangers and Denton County Sheriff’s Department.

During several hours of public comment on the resolution, citizens of Denton provided input both in favor and against the measure, the Supreme Court decision and abortion in general. Many speakers shared very personal stories related to abortion, women’s rights and their strong feelings on the matters.

Ahead of the council meeting, hundreds of people gathered in front of City Hall to protest the Supreme Court decision and show support for the measure going before the council. 

Audrey Fink of Denton held up a large sign in the crowd that said, "My arms are tired from holding this sign since the 1960s," a quote she attributed to her grandmother who wanted to be at the protest but couldn’t due to her ailing health.

“She protested back when she was my age, and now I’m just taking over for her,” said Fink, who added that she feels it’s her duty to stand up for her rights and the rights of other women after that court ruling came in Friday.

“It really just sat a lot deeper, and I was like, wow, so this is really happening. This is where we’re at in this country,” said Fink.

Michelle Barker stood in the crowd with her wife and children, all holding signs fighting for abortion rights. Barker said they wanted to set an example for their kids, especially at a time where members of the court are on record as showing interest in revisiting other rights such as the right to contraception and the rights to marriage equality.

“There is always something you can do. You’re not powerless and you have a voice and you have to make your voice known. You have to stand up,” said Barker.

The crowd also had a number of counter protesters in it who spoke in favor of the Supreme Court decision, some holding graphic abortion related signs.

During the council discussion on the measure, dissenting members expressed concern over the lack of ability in the resolution to actually do anything substantial, possible legal ramifications from the state and late changes made to the wording in the resolution. 

Ultimately, many in the crowd in the City Council chambers gave a standing ovation as the mayor announced the passing of the resolution. It’s unclear how state leaders will respond to the resolution.

Grassroots leaders supporting the resolution said they are pushing for similar action in other Texas cities including Austin.