Lubbock County commissioners enact ban on abortion, travel for abortion during Monday meeting

Following more than an hour of public testimony on Monday, the Lubbock County Commissioners Court somewhat unexpectedly passed an ordinance banning abortion, abortion-inducing drugs and travel for abortion in the unincorporated areas of Lubbock County, declaring Lubbock County a "Sanctuary County for the Unborn."

More than 100 people were in attendance for the regular commissioners court meeting where the ordinance was discussed Monday morning. The ordinance, which was introduced to the court last Wednesday, was passed by a vote of 3-0 with two members abstaining, making Lubbock County the largest jurisdiction so far adopt an abortion-related travel ban.

Commissioners Terence Kovar, Jason Corley and Jordan Rackler voted to pass the law. County Judge Curtis Parrish and Commissioner Gilbert Flores abstained from the vote.

The vote in Lubbock follows proceedings in rural Cochran County last month where a similar ordinance was passed unanimously. The county also joins the City of Lubbock, whose voters banned abortion in a high-profile 2021 election.

More: Cochran County, on Texas-New Mexico border, adopts ban on abortion, travel for abortion

The ordinance allows citizens to sue anyone who assists a woman in obtaining an abortion in Lubbock County or by traveling through Lubbock County. The ordinance clarifies its provisions do not apply to pregnant women seeking an abortion, but do apply to anyone assisting them.

During the Monday meeting, Lubbock County citizens and others who traveled from other parts of Texas and New Mexico — including a New Mexico state senator — rose to comment on the legislation, with those in support of the ordinance wearing blue and those in opposition wearing pink.

Many of those who spoke in support of the ordinance said they feel passing the law advances a Biblical mandate to protect innocent lives, while those in opposition expressed concern the ordinance is an unconstitutional attempt to impose religious beliefs on people who do not necessarily agree with them.

Mark Lee Dickson, a Longview pastor who has championed anti-abortion ordinances through his "Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn" initiative, compared outlawing abortion to the post-Civil War emancipation of slaves in the United States.

"Guys, I long for the day (when), coast to coast, abortion is considered a great moral, social and political wrong and is outlawed in every single state," Dickson told the court.

Flores and Parrish both expressed a personal aversion to abortion, but had concerns about the county's place in regulating it.

"I am 77 years old. I go back to the 50s and 60s … when my rights were violated at school, at restaurants, anywhere I went," said Flores, who is Hispanic. "What's in front of me right now is, do I have the right, do I have the power, do I want the authority to tell women what to do, to violate their rights?"

"This ordinance as written has many legal problems," Parrish said. "This ordinance, however, does not have a problem with its intent or the intent of those who are passionate about this.

"The issue isn't whether we should stand up for the rights of the unborn or the safety of the pregnant mother, but how do we make this ordinance stand up to the scrutiny of state and federal appellate courts?" Parrish continued. "This does not mean that we are not a pro-life county. But we shouldn't need a piece of paper that says you can't drive on our roads to be known as a pro-life county."

Neal Burt, chief of the civil division of the Lubbock County District Attorney's Office, asked the court for additional time to review and amend the ordinance. Following the lengthy and impassioned remarks from members of the court, Parrish moved to postpone the vote to March to allow the DA's office to vet the legislation. That motion to postpone failed 2-3.

Corley said any amendments to the ordinance could be added later, after the law is in effect.

The ordinance became effective immediately following the vote to approve it.

Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas released a statement Monday afternoon condemning the move.

"Texans already live under some of the most restrictive and dangerous abortion bans in the country, yet anti-abortion extremists continue to push additional unnecessary, confusing and fear-inducing barriers to essential healthcare," Autumn Keiser, a spokesperson, said.

Emily Bryson contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Lubbock County bans abortion and abortion-related travel