A Texas pastor who has successfully lobbied towns and cities to ban abortions has brought his movement to Arizona. He spoke in Prescott Valley on Sunday, June 11.
The Vineyard Church is a nondescript building with a large white cross out front.
Inside, a pastor stands by a coffee bar greeting people and ushering them to take seats in the main room.
“A big howdy to you guys. So, so thankful to be here in the great state of Arizona,” said Mark Lee Dickson.
Dickson calls his advocacy group Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn.
According to the website, 67 cities and two counties have passed his “sanctuary” laws.
“If you personally know a city council member that you have a good enough relationship where you could have coffee with them, if just you’d raise your hand,” Dickson told the group. “So yeah, having a conversation.”
Most of the towns Dickson has visited don’t even have abortion clinics. And in New Mexico, the governor signed a law overriding the local ordinances.
This story is part of KJZZ’s partnership with the Cronkite School of Journalism and Carnegie-Knight News21.