‘Dumpster Fire’ Portland to Vote on Banning Trade, Travel with Texas over Abortion Law

Democrat-run Portland will consider an emergency resolution to bar trade and travel with Texas in protest of the Lone Star State’s abortion heartbeat law.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler (D) said the city council will vote on the measure Wednesday aimed at banning “future procurement of goods and services from, and City employee business travel to, the state of Texas.”

“The Portland City Council stands unified in its belief that all people should have the right to choose if and when they carry a pregnancy and that the decisions they make are complex, difficult, and unique to their circumstances,” the mayor said in a Friday statement. “The ban will be in effect until the state of Texas withdraws its unconstitutional ban on abortion or until it is overturned in court. City legal counsel is currently evaluating the legal aspects of this proposed resolution.”

“This law does not demonstrate concern for the health, safety, and well-being of those who may become pregnant. This law does not recognize or show respect for the human rights of those who may become pregnant. This law rewards private individuals for exercising surveillance and control over others’ bodies. It violates the separation of church and state. And, it will force people to carry pregnancies against their will,” he added.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) responded to Wheeler’s statement, calling Portland a “dumpster fire.”

PORTLAND, OR – NOVEMBER 04: A small group of racial justice protesters watch a burning American Flag as they gather in front of the Multnomah County Justice Center early in the morning on November 4, 2020 in Portland, Oregon. After a record-breaking early voting turnout, Americans head to the polls on the last day to cast their vote for incumbent U.S. President Donald Trump or Democratic nominee Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. (Photo by Nathan Howard/Getty Images)

“It’s comical that Portland mayor @tedwheeler is worried about Texas when his city defunded the police and he had to ask citizens to ‘take back the city,’” Patrick tweeted over the weekend. “Texas is solidly #prolife and Texans support law enforcement. Meanwhile, Portland is a dumpster fire and Texas is thriving.”

Texas became the first state in the nation to ban abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected — as early as six weeks into a pregnancy — and allows individuals to take legal action against others connected to an abortion.

The Department of Justice pledged Monday to protect abortion seekers in Texas in the wake of the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision not to block the state law.

AUSTIN, TX – MAY 29: Pro-life protesters stand near the gate of the Texas state capitol at a protest outside the Texas state capitol on May 29, 2021 in Austin, Texas. Thousands of protesters came out in response to a new bill outlawing abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected signed on Wednesday by Texas Governor Greg Abbot. (Photo by Sergio Flores/Getty Images)

Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement that his agency will “protect those seeking to obtain or provide reproductive health services” under a federal law referred to as the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act.

“The department will provide support from federal law enforcement when an abortion clinic or reproductive health center is under attack,” he added. “We will not tolerate violence against those seeking to obtain or provide reproductive health services, physical obstruction, or property damage in violation of the FACE Act.”

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