Democratic cities in Texas push to blunt impact of state’s abortion ban

Blue cities aim to pass bills to protect those who receive and provide abortions: The fight starts locally'

Across Texas, Democratic-held cities are galvanizing to mitigate the effects of the Republican-run state's near-total abortion ban after the US supreme court voted in June to overturn Roe v Wade, the landmark case that gave Americans a constitutional right to terminate their pregnancies.

Texas's capital, Austin, voted last week to decriminalize" abortion in the city by passing the Guarding the Right to Abortion Care for Everyone (Grace) Act. Although abortion is still illegal in the state, the passing of the Grace Act will redirect the city's budget to focus on going after more important crimes such as sexual assault, theft and burglary.