Mark Lee Dickson

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Mark Lee Dickson (born August 16, 1985) is an American pastor and extreme anti-abortion advocate. Dickson has become one of the most influential anti-abortion voices in the United States due to his successful campaigning for cities to ban all abortions, including medically necessary abortions, through local "sanctuary city" ordinances. These ordinances range from banning anyone from conducting an abortion to banning citizens and non-citizens of the city from traveling through these counties to other areas where abortion is legal.

Contents

Early life

Dickson was brought up in Longview, Texas. As a child, Dickson would frequent the Gregg County Fair to visit his grandfather Glenn Canfield, Jr. at his booth for anti-abortion group Right To Life of East Texas. While at this booth Dickson was introduced to fetal models and would sometimes take a twelve-week fetal model home with him. [1] After his grandfather's death of cancer in 2006, Dickson got involved with Right To Life of East Texas, later becoming a director with the organization. [1]

Dickson had attended Kilgore College periodically but dropped out in order to pursue ministry work. In the meantime, he worked as a chaplain at a nursing home, as a pastor at a Baptist church, and as a security guard. [2]

Personal life

Dickson often bills himself as a “38-year-old virgin”. He has stated that he has had no personal experience with abortion, and that his battles with depression have helped him reflect on the value of life. [2] [3] [1] He is known for wearing a backwards black baseball cap, a suit jacket, a button-down shirt, jeans, and a pair of Vans shoes. [2] [4] [5]

Dickson is a supporter of former President Donald Trump, and believes that he won the 2020 election. He attended the "Save America" rally on January 6, 2021, but claims that he did not enter the Capitol. [2]

He considers all abortions murder, with no exceptions. [6]

End-of-life advocacy

In 2018, Dickson became active on end-of-life issues as he worked with Wren and Karen Michel to prevent their 39-year-old son, Jonathan Michel, from being taken off of life support at a hospital in Tyler, Texas. [7] [8] In 2019 Dickson worked with Senator Bryan Hughes and Texas Right To Life on the case of 61-year old Carolyn Jones in Houston, Texas who was about to be removed from life support because of the Texas Advance Directives Act. [8] [9]

Anti-abortion Efforts

Before 2019, Dickson frequently protested outside abortion clinics.

In 2019, the pastor launched his "sanctuary city" initiative. Concerned that an abortion clinic in Shreveport, Louisiana might cross the border and relocate to the small town of Waskom, Texas, he joined conservative attorney and former Solicitor General of Texas Jonathan F. Mitchell to draft legislation regarding sanctuary cities. [10] [11] The duo were able to convince the all-male city council to pass the legislation, rendering it the first municipality in the country to ban abortion. [12] [13] [14] [15] A sanctuary city generally bans anyone, including citizens, from traveling, receiving, and giving abortions; regardless if the abortion was the result of medical necessity, rape, or choice. These cities and counties also ban those who travel through it to receive abortions in other areas or states.

Ever since his success in Waskom, Dickson has traveled all over Texas, lobbying towns and cities to ban abortion within city limits and become “sanctuary cities for the unborn”. [16] [17] At least 65 [18] cities and two counties have passed "sanctuary city for the unborn" ordinances, including fifty cities in Texas, eight cities in Nebraska, [19] [20] [21] two cities in Ohio, [22] [23] [24] one city in Louisiana, [25] [26] one city in Iowa, [27] [28] and three cities and two counties in New Mexico. [29] [30] The largest city to have enacted one of Dickson's ordinances is Lubbock, Texas. [31] [32] [33] Two cities, Omaha, Texas [34] and Mason, Ohio, [35] later retracted ordinances which Dickson had convinced them to enact. [36]

Since the Supreme Court of the United States' decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization , Dickson has been pushing for county and municipal anti-abortion ordinances in New Mexico, [37] [38] Colorado, [39] and Minnesota, [40] and Montana [41] - in addition to states like Texas and Nebraska.

One major focus of Dickson's New Mexico efforts has been focused on preventing a reproductive healthcare clinic in Texas, Whole Woman's Health, from relocating to the nearby border town of Hobbs, New Mexico. [42] [43] The Hobbs City Commission passed one of Dickson's ordinances in November 2022. [29] The action by the Hobbs City Commission immediately resulted in a condemnation from New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham who criticized the measure as being authored by "out-of-state extremists." [44]

In Colorado, Dickson attempted to thwart the opening of an abortion clinic operated by abortion provider LeRoy Carhart. While Dickson was successful in getting an ordinance introduced by the Pueblo, Colorado city council, [45] [46] the ordinance did not survive its final reading. [47] Dickson and his allies were opposed at the council meeting by Daneya Esgar, who was just finishing her term as House Majority Leader and was the author of Colorado's Reproductive Health Equity Act (RHEA).

In June 2020, Dickson was sued by several abortion-assistance organizations for defamation for statements he made accusing abortion-aiding organizations of taking "part in the murder of innocent unborn human beings." [48] [49] In February, 2023, the Supreme Court of Texas unanimously sided in Dickson's favor - ruling against the three abortion-assistance organizations which had filed suit against him. [50]

Dickson was also the sole non-government actor defendant in a federal lawsuit which challenged the Texas Heartbeat Act. All nine Supreme Court of the United States justices opined that the case against Dickson should be dismissed. [51] [52]

Dickson has been described as an “extremist” and " the primary face and architect” of the Texas Heartbeat Act by Kristin Ford, acting vice president of the pro-choice advocacy group NARAL. [2]

Dickson serves as the Director of Right to Life of East Texas and is the Founder of Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn Initiative.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waskom, Texas</span> City in Texas, United States

Waskom is a city in the U.S. state of Texas with a 2020 census-tabulated population of 1,910, down from 2,160 residents in 2010. It is located in Harrison County and lies approximately 19 miles (31 km) east of the county seat, Marshall, on U.S. 80 and Interstate 20. Waskom forms part of Greater Marshall, which is also included in the Longview–Marshall combined statistical area in the Ark-La-Tex region. To the east are the cities of Greenwood and Shreveport, Louisiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States abortion-rights movement</span> Support for womens right to elective abortion

The United States abortion-rights movement is a sociopolitical movement in the United States supporting the view that a woman should have the legal right to an elective abortion, meaning the right to terminate her pregnancy, and is part of a broader global abortion-rights movement. The movement consists of a variety of organizations, with no single centralized decision-making body.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abortion in the United States</span> Termination of a pregnancy in the United States

Abortion is a divisive issue in the United States. The issue of abortion is prevalent in American politics and culture wars, though a majority of Americans support continued access to abortion. There are widely different abortion laws depending on state.

A trigger law is a law that is unenforceable but may achieve enforceability if a key change in circumstances occurs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abortion law in the United States by state</span> Termination of pregnancy in states of the United States

The legality of abortion in the United States and the various restrictions imposed on the procedure vary significantly, depending on the laws of each state or other jurisdiction, although there is no uniform federal law. Some states prohibit abortion at all stages of pregnancy, with few exceptions; others permit it up to a certain point in a woman's pregnancy, while some allow abortion throughout a woman's pregnancy. In states where abortion is legal, several classes of restrictions on the procedure may exist, such as parental consent or notification laws, requirements that patients be shown an ultrasound before obtaining an abortion, mandatory waiting periods, and counseling requirements.

Abortion in Texas is illegal in most cases. There are nominally exceptions to save the mother's life, or prevent "substantial impairment of major bodily function", but the law on abortion in Texas is written in such an ambiguous way that life-threatening or harmful pregnancies do not explicitly constitute an exception.

Abortion in Alabama is illegal. Historically, Alabama's abortion laws have evolved from strict regulations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to a period of liberalization following the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion nationwide. However, Alabama has consistently enacted legislation aimed at restricting access to abortion.

Abortion in Georgia is legal up to the detection of embryonic cardiac-cell activity, which typically begins in the 5th or 6th week after the onset of the last menstrual period (LMP), two to three weeks after implantation, when many women are not yet aware that they are pregnant.

Abortion in Louisiana is mostly illegal as of August 1, 2022.

Abortion in Colorado is legal at all stages of pregnancy. It is one of seven states without any term restrictions as to when a pregnancy can be terminated.

Abortion in the District of Columbia is legal at all stages of pregnancy. In 1971, in United States v. Vuitch, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a law saying abortion was allowed for health reasons, which include "psychological and physical well-being". Consequently, the District of Columbia became a destination for women seeking abortions starting that year.

Abortion in Mississippi is illegal. The new law took effect on July 7, 2022, after Mississippi State Attorney General Lynn Fitch certified on June 27, the Supreme Court decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization on June 24 of that year. State Attorney General Lynn Fitch's certification made Mississippi's 2007 'trigger law' go into effect and ban all abortions in the state, “except in the case where necessary for the preservation of the mother's life or where the pregnancy was caused by rape".

Abortion in Nebraska is legal up to the 12th week of pregnancy, after new legislation was signed in May 2023. In June 2023, a lawsuit was filed to challenge the state's abortion law. The legislation establishing the law contained provisions concerning both abortion and gender-affirming care, while the state constitution prohibits bills that legislate on multiple issues at once.

Abortion in New York is legal, although abortions after the 24th week of pregnancy require a physician's approval. Abortion was legalized up to the 24th week of pregnancy in New York in 1970, three years before it was legalized for the entire United States with the Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade in 1973. Roe v. Wade was later overturned in 2022 by the Supreme Court in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. The Reproductive Health Act, passed in 2019 in New York, further allows abortions past the 24th week of pregnancy if a woman's life or health is at risk, or if the fetus is not viable. However, since these exceptions are not defined by the law, and the law carries no criminal penalties for the woman herself, abortion is effectively legal throughout pregnancy.

Abortion in Ohio is legal up to the point of fetal viability as a result of abortion rights being placed into the Ohio State Constitution by November 2023 Ohio Issue 1.

Abortion in Maryland is legal at all stages of pregnancy. The first laws regulating abortion in the state were passed in 1867 and 1868, banning abortion except by a physician to "secure the safety of the mother." Abortion providers continued to operate both within and outside of the law. Legal enforcement became more strict from the 1940s through 60s, with numerous police raids on abortion providers. In 1968, Maryland passed a liberalized abortion law that clarified the wording of the previous law, allowing abortion in hospital settings in cases of rape, severe fetal deformity, or when life and health were endangered.

Abortion in New Mexico is legal at all stages of pregnancy. The number of abortion clinics in New Mexico has declined over the years, with 26 in 1982, 20 in 1992 and 11 in 2014. There were 4,500 legal abortions in 2014. There were 7 facilities providing abortion in New Mexico in 2017, and 6 of those were clinics. In 2017, 91% of New Mexico counties had no clinics that provided abortions, and 48% of New Mexico women lived in those counties.

Abortion in Florida is generally illegal after six weeks from the woman's last menstrual period, when many women do not yet know they are pregnant. This law came into effect in May 2024, being approved by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis following its passage in the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate, with only Republican state legislators supporting and only Democratic state legislators opposing. Additionally, pregnant women are generally required to make two visits to a medical facility 24 hours apart to be able to obtain an abortion, in a law approved by Republican Governor Rick Scott in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas Heartbeat Act</span> 2021 Act of the Texas Legislature on abortion

The Texas Heartbeat Act, Senate Bill 8, is an act of the Texas Legislature that bans abortion after the detection of embryonic or fetal cardiac activity, which normally occurs after about six weeks of pregnancy. The law took effect on September 1, 2021, after the U.S. Supreme Court denied a request for emergency relief from Texas abortion providers. It was the first time a state has successfully imposed a six-week abortion ban since Roe v. Wade, and the first abortion restriction to rely solely on enforcement by private individuals through civil lawsuits, rather than having state officials enforce the law with criminal or civil penalties. The act authorizes members of the public to sue anyone who performs or facilitates an illegal abortion for a minimum of $10,000 in statutory damages per abortion, plus court costs and attorneys' fees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States abortion protests (2022–present)</span> 2022 protests following the ruling of Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization

A series of ongoing protests supporting abortion rights and anti-abortion counter-protests began in the United States on May 2, 2022, following the leak of a draft majority opinion for the U.S. Supreme Court case Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which stated that the Constitution of the United States does not confer any Reproductive rights, thus overturning Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court officially overturned Roe and Casey in Dobbs, resulting in further protests outside of the U.S. Supreme Court building and across the country, eventually to major cities across the world both in favor of and against the decision.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Ziegler, Mary (2023). Roe: The History of a National Obsession. Yale University Press. p. 138. ISBN   978-0-300-26610-8.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Mark Lee Dickson paved the way for the Texas abortion ban, one small town at a time". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  3. ↑ "The Traveling Salesman Bringing Abortion Bans To A Texas Town Near You". HuffPost. 2020-03-02. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  4. ↑ Olasky, Marvin; Savas, Leah (2023). The Story of Abortion in America: A Street-Level History 1652-2022. Crossway. p. 406. ISBN   978-1-4335-8044-4.
  5. ↑ Swartz, Mimi (2021-09-05). "Meet the Legal Strategist Behind the Texas Abortion Ban". Texas Monthly. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
  6. ↑ Kilgore, Ed (2021-09-02). "The Supreme Court's Radical Texas Abortion Law Ruling & What Comes Next". Intelligencer. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  7. ↑ "RIGHT TO LIFE: East Texas family begs for mercy for their son". KTAB - BigCountryHomepage.com. 2018-07-20. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
  8. 1 2 Ziegler, Mary (2023). Roe: The History of a National Obsession. Yale University Press. p. 139. ISBN   978-0-300-26610-8.
  9. ↑ Parke, Caleb (2019-05-17). "Texas woman taken off life support against family's wishes – then a pro-life group stepped in". Fox News. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
  10. ↑ Swartz, Mimi (2021-09-05). "Meet the Legal Strategist Behind the Texas Abortion Ban". Texas Monthly. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  11. ↑ "Origin story of the Texas law that could upend Roe v. Wade - Albuquerque Journal". www.abqjournal.com. 4 September 2021. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  12. ↑ Schmidt, Michael S. (2021-09-12). "Behind the Texas Abortion Law, a Persevering Conservative". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  13. ↑ "Grassroots effort to outlaw abortion one city at a time gains momentum in Texas and beyond". Dallas News. 2022-03-29. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  14. ↑ Ziegler, Mary (2023). Roe: The History of a National Obsession. Yale University Press. pp. 139–141. ISBN   978-0-300-26610-8.
  15. ↑ Olasky, Marvin; Savas, Leah (2023). The Story of Abortion in America: A Street-Level History 1652-2022. Crossway. pp. 406–407. ISBN   978-1-4335-8044-4.
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  18. ↑ "Ohio city rewrites abortion ban, advocacy groups end lawsuit". AP NEWS. 2023-01-27. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
  19. ↑ Standiford, Melanie. "Hayes Center is first Nebraska town to make abortion illegal and punishable by law". KNOP News. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  20. ↑ Standiford, Melanie. "Another Nebraska town moves toward outlawing abortion". KNOP News. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  21. ↑ "Abortion ban fails in small Nebraska town; others pass, some narrowly". Nebraska Public Media. Retrieved 2022-11-17.
  22. ↑ "Abortion ban: Texas group, Trump lawyer are behind Lebanon's abortion ban". www.cincinnati.com. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  23. ↑ "The dignity of life: Celina's quest to be a sanctuary city for unborn". The Lima News. 2021-11-13. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  24. ↑ "Lebanon becomes first Ohio city to pass local abortion ban". WCPO. 2021-05-25. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  25. ↑ Noakes, Alena (25 March 2022). "Pollock becomes state's first 'Sanctuary City for the Unborn'". KALB. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
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  27. ↑ Burns, Douglas (2 May 2022). "Willey declares itself first Iowa 'sanctuary' city for unborn". Carroll Times Herald. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
  28. ↑ Joens, Philip. "Western Iowa town passes ordinance outlawing abortion within city limits". Des Moines Register. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
  29. 1 2 Brooks, Brad (2022-11-08). "New Mexico city passes ordinance to block abortion clinics from operating". Reuters. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
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  31. ↑ Najmabadi, Shannon (2021-05-02). "Lubbock votes to become the state's largest "sanctuary city for the unborn"". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
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  33. ↑ Olasky, Marvin; Savas, Leah (2023). The Story of Abortion in America: A Street-Level History 1652-2022. Crossway. pp. 408–409. ISBN   978-1-4335-8044-4.
  34. ↑ Olasky, Marvin; Savas, Leah (2023). The Story of Abortion in America: A Street-Level History 1652-2022. Crossway. p. 407. ISBN   978-1-4335-8044-4.
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  36. ↑ Glynn, Erin. "New Mason City Council votes to repeal abortion ban". The Enquirer. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
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  38. ↑ "The Architect Of Texas' Radical Abortion Law Has His Sights Set On A New State". HuffPost. 2022-10-27. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
  39. ↑ "Pueblo Chieftain". www.chieftain.com. Retrieved 2022-12-20.
  40. ↑ Villa Huerta, Lissandra (December 3, 2022). "Antiabortion forces push local bans in states with legal access". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2022-12-20.
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  46. ↑ Wenzler, Elliott (2022-12-10). "Pueblo sees first attempt by Texas-based anti-abortion activist to challenge Colorado law". The Colorado Sun. Retrieved 2022-12-20.
  47. ↑ "Pueblo City Council indefinitely tables controversial anti-abortion ordinance". Pueblo Chieftain. Retrieved 2022-12-20.
  48. ↑ Richardson, Robin Y. (11 June 2020). "New defamation lawsuit filed against Right to Life East Texas, director". Marshall News Messenger. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  49. ↑ Nguyen, Alex (2022-10-26). "Texas Supreme Court weighs whether to dismiss abortion funds' defamation case against anti-abortion activist". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
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