15th Texas county outlaws abortion and use of roads for ‘abortion trafficking’

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this guest post are solely those of the author.

On the morning of Tuesday, January 13, the Commissioners’ Court of Borden County, Texas, considered an ordinance outlawing abortion and abortion trafficking in Borden County. After hearing a presentation from Right to Life Across Texas, County Judge Cathy York Palmer asked the Commissioners if they had a motion to bring forth on the measure. Precinct 2 Commissioner Randy Adcock made a motion to adopt the ordinance outlawing abortion and declaring Borden County a Sanctuary County for the Unborn (SCFTU). The measure was seconded by Precinct 1 Commissioner Norman “Jibber” Herridge. Upon vote, Commissioners Herridge and Adcock, along with Emma Swift and Greg Stansell all voted in favor of the measure, making the passage a unanimous 4-0 vote.

Texas Counties Lead the Way:

The passage made Borden County (pop. 631) the 15th county in Texas to outlaw abortion trafficking – following Mitchell (pop. 9,070), Goliad (pop. 7,012), Cochran (pop. 2,547), Lubbock (pop. 317,561), Dawson (pop. 12,130), Jack (pop. 8,875), Shackelford (pop. 3,105), Camp (pop.13,164), Shelby (pop. 24,179), Hopkins (pop. 38,784), Dickens (pop. 1,725),  Howard (pop. 34,860), Motley (pop. 1,063), and Crosby (pop. 5,133) counties — as well as the 17th county and the 109th political subdivision to outlaw abortion in the United States. The effort to see political subdivisions throughout Texas outlaw abortion trafficking through the Sanctuaries for the Unborn initiative is supported by lawmakers across Texas and New Mexico.  

The Community Reacts:

After the vote, Borden County Republican Chair Diedra Parks shared:

“I am proud of our county for taking a pro-life stance and protecting the unborn babies. Babies are our future. If we do not have babies, what do we have?”

The vote by their community’s leaders meant a lot to several members of the community. Parks’ husband, Eddie Parks, shared:

“Before I was a Christian, I was dating a girl who got pregnant and I took her to get an abortion. Because of that, I never had children of my own. I regret that. It was selfish. We wanted what we wanted at the time and we thought that would take care of it. I’ve spent the rest of my life regretting that.

When you are living in the world, it is easy to justify the decisions that you make not knowing the full ramifications of what you are doing. We have to stand for life. If we do not stand for life, we will regret it.” 

Pastor Chase Pinkerton of Christ Fellowship Church in Big Spring was also moved by the passage of the measure. Pinkerton, who grew up in Borden County and met his wife in the community, shared:

“Today, the Borden County Commissioners cast a vote to keep babies safe in Borden County, to keep the abortion industry off of their roads, and provide accountability for those who want to destroy the image of God.

It’s nice to know that a place known by many to produce excellence and wholesome character is standing firm for life. Borden County is the gold standard for what rural Texas is all about and passing the Sanctuary County for the Unborn Ordinance is just evidence of that.” 

The Ordinance:

The Borden County SCFTU Ordinance prohibits elective abortions and the aiding or abetting of elective abortions within the unincorporated area of Borden County, as well as the performing of an elective abortion and the aiding or abetting of an elective abortion on a resident of the unincorporated area of Borden County, “regardless of the location of the abortion, regardless of the law in the jurisdiction where the abortion occurred, and regardless of whether the person knew or should have known that the abortion was performed or induced on a resident of the unincorporated area of Borden County.”

Since the entirety of Borden County is unincorporated, the ordinance covers the entirety of Borden County. 

As a result of the ordinance, it is now illegal “for any person to knowingly transport any individual for the purpose of providing or obtaining an elective abortion, regardless of where the elective abortion will occur” as long as such activity "begins, ends, or passes through the unincorporated area of Borden County.”

This means it is now illegal to use the sections of U.S. Highway 80, Farm to Market Road 669 and all sections of all other roads found in Borden County for the purpose of abortion trafficking. The ordinance is part of a cultural shift that looks at abortion trafficking the same way as drug trafficking or sex trafficking, and is intentionally written to facilitate the end of abortion throughout the United States. By joining Dawson County to their West, Howard County to their South, and Mitchell County to their Southeast, Borden County’s measure helps broaden and strengthen the ‘Wall of Ordinances’ against abortion trafficking across Texas.

The ordinance also prohibits abortion-inducing drugs within Borden County, prohibits Texas waste management companies from transporting and disposing of aborted fetal remains from any out-of-state abortion provider within Borden County, and prohibits criminal abortion organizations from operating within Borden County.

The Private Enforcement Mechanism:

Like the Texas Heartbeat Act, the county ordinance is only enforced through a private enforcement mechanism, allowing lawsuits to be filed by citizens against anyone who violates the ordinance. The ordinance does not allow any lawsuit to be filed against the mother of the unborn child, but only against the abortionist and those who are assisting the abortionist in the killing of her unborn child. 

In addition to having strong protections for pregnant mothers and their unborn children, the Borden County SCFTU ordinance also educates about the statewide Thriving Texas Families Program which helps connect pregnant mothers to a variety of different resources found through centers listed on the Texas Pregnancy Care Network website and The Pregnancy Network website. 

Those who wish to see their county or city go as far as they can to protect pregnant mothers and their unborn children from the violence of abortion are encouraged to sign the online petition on the Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn website.