On the Des Moines City Council, Josh Mandelbaum wanted taxpayers’ dollars to reimburse city employees who travel out of state for an abortion, LifeNews reported. He also suggested the City of Des Moines should instruct police officers to not enforce state abortion laws.
Maggie DeWitte, of pro-life group Pulse Life Advocates, was present for Mandelbaum’s proposals at the Oct. 3 meeting.
“It was resoundingly defeated,” she tells AFN, because city council members concluded his demands were outside the purview of their duties and responsibilities.
Joe Gatto, a fellow city council member, called it a “publicity stunt,” LifeNews reported.
Dewitte similarly calls it “absurd” to instruct a police officer to ignore laws.
“And what a slippery slope we could get into,” she says, “if individual cities decided we could pick and choose which laws we would decide to enforce.”
One member of the council pointed out a window to the state capitol, located nearby, and stated that is where laws are approved or rejected.
