Lubbock Becomes Largest City In U.S. To Outlaw Abortion

On Saturday, the voters of Lubbock, Texas, overwhelmingly approved a city ordinance that outlawed abortion with the city limits as well as declared Lubbock a “Sanctuary City for the Unborn.” The vote was 62.46% of voters in favor and 37.54% opposed.

Lubbock’s approval means the city is the largest city by far in the United States to outlaw abortion; Lubbock has an estimated population of 258,862. 22 other Texas cities and two cities in Nebraska had passed ordinances with similar intent, but Lubbock is the only town with an active abortion clinic.

Last November, the Lubbock City Council rejected the ordinance after a petition drive forced a vote by the Lubbock City Council. But then the committee responsible for the petition forced the city council to approve a May election to consider the matter.

“Lubbock did not have a working abortion clinic in the city until April 15, when the Planned Parenthood Health Center began offering abortions,” Everything Lubbock noted, adding, “However, the ordinance would not be enforceable through penalties ‘unless and until’ either of three things happens: The Supreme Court overrules Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, a state or federal court rules that it does not impose an undue burden on women seeking abortions, or a state or federal court rules the entity being penalized ‘lacks third-party standing to assert the rights of women seeking abortions in court.’”

The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas reacted to the ordinance passing by stating, “The ACLU has a long history of challenging unconstitutional abortion bans and will continue to fight to protect the fundamental rights of the people of Lubbock.”

The impetus for the ordinance was triggered by the announcement last August by Planned Parenthood that it intended to open a clinic in Lubbock, stating, “For the past three years, a priority for Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas has been to expand Planned Parenthood’s services in West Texas to increase access to affordable healthcare services including breast and cervical cancer screenings, HIV tests, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), birth control including long-acting IUDs and implants, and safe, legal abortion services.”

State Sen. Charles Perry (R-Lubbock) started a petition which stated, “Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider, is hiring staff for a Lubbock location. Two years ago, they made their plans known to re-enter West Texas and they have made good on that promise. We need to stand strong and send a clear message that the abortion industry should not set up shop in our backyard. Unborn children should have the right to live and Planned Parenthood profits off ending their lives. This is unacceptable.”

The Texas Republican Party stated in its 2020 platform, “We support completely eliminating public funding for Planned Parenthood and any other abortion providers and all their affiliates, and we oppose their digital or physical presence in our schools and other public institutions, and the expansion of their facilities in our neighborhoods.”

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