txmediagroup
Lubbock, Texas, is leading the way in efforts to outlaw abortion in the Lone Star State. The South Plains city voted overwhelmingly in favor of making Lubbock a Sanctuary City for the Unborn. The ordinance easily passed, with a margin of 62.46 percent to 37.54 percent, The new ordinance means that Lubbock (population 229,943) is now the largest city in the nation to ban abortion. Procedures to save the life of the mother, remove a fetus who died due to miscarriage, or remove an ectopic pregnancy are permitted.
Before the Hub City, Big Springs (population 28,187) was previously the largest city to enact a similar abortion ban. Twenty-two other Texas cities and two cities in Nebraska have also become Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn. What makes the new ordinance even more compelling is that Lubbock is the first such community to pass the ordinance with an active abortion clinic in town.
Origin of the Pro-Life Effort
Photo: @caitlinrheaphotos via Twenty20
The ordinance will be enforced by enabling citizens to file lawsuits against abortionists and anyone who assists in procuring an abortion, rather than through direct government action, unless the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade or otherwise changes abortion laws. The ordinance states in part, “It shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly aid or abet an abortion that occurs in the City of Lubbock, Texas.” Supporters of the ordinance claim it will stand up to scrutiny in a court of law, and they note that an attorney has already offered to defend the city free of charge, should the ordinance be challenged.
The pro-life effort came after a Planned Parenthood clinic was opened in Lubbock in 2020. Pro-life advocates soon gathered enough signatures to bring the ordinance to the Lubbock City Council, but the seven politicians unanimously voted it down. Undaunted, pro-lifers continued their efforts with a petition, finally putting the ordinance to a city-wide public vote, which overwhelmingly passed in favor of the ordinance.
Another galvanizing factor behind the campaign was a recent radical law expanding abortion in New York. The pro-life movement across the nation has reacted strongly to New York legislation which legalized abortion up to birth, as well as Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s comments about post-birth abortion.
Quick Facts
Photo: @SteveAllenPhoto via Twenty20
2,700 abortions take place in the United States each day, or about one million a year. Since Roe v. Ward was decided, over 53 million abortions have occurred. African-Americans are disproportionately affected by abortion. According to the Centers for Disease and Prevention, African-American women constitute 14 percent of the childbearing population, but 36% of all abortions are obtained by African-American women. An estimated 19 million African-American babies have been aborted since Roe v. Wade. To date, only a single state prohibits abortions for reasons of race, and only seven states prohibit abortions for reasons of sex selection.
Taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood is in excess of $500 million. The usual cut-off date for abortions is 20 weeks, when a baby in the womb can feel pain, but a baby’s heart begins beating in the third week of pregnancy. Less than .5% of abortions are performed because of rape.
