19th Texas county outlaws abortion and use of roads for ‘abortion trafficking’

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

​​Sterling County is the newest Sanctuary County for the Unborn (SCFTU) in the State of Texas.

While Sterling County Judge Belinda S. Counts had brought up the measure to her commissioners for consideration at their meeting on Monday, March 9, Judge Counts thought her commissioners would prefer to wait until their next meeting to vote on it. However, the Sterling County Commissioners were ready to take action.

Precinct 1 Commissioner Ross Copeland made a motion to adopt the measure, which was seconded by Precinct 2 Commissioner Edward Michulka, Jr. Upon a vote of the full court, Commissioners Copeland and Michulka were joined by Judge Counts, Precinct 3 Commissioner Tommy Wright, Jr., and Precinct 4 Commissioner Reed Stewart in voting in favor of the measure, making the vote a unanimous 5-0.

The passage made Sterling County (pop. 1,372) the 19th 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), Crosby (pop. 5,133), Borden (pop. 631), Hall (pop. 2,825), Hood (pop. 61,598), and King (pop. 265) counties — as well as the 21st county and the 115th 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 Sterling County SCFTU Ordinance

The Sterling County SCFTU Ordinance prohibits elective abortions and the aiding or abetting of elective abortions within the unincorporated area of Sterling 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 Sterling 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 Sterling 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 Sterling County.” This means it is now illegal to use the sections of U.S. Highway 87, State Highway 158, U.S. Highway 163, and all sections of all other roads found in the unincorporated area of Sterling County for the purpose of abortion trafficking.

The Sterling County SCFTU Ordinance, connecting with the county ordinances passed in Mitchell, Howard, Borden, and Dawson, creates a 4,643 square mile 'Wall of Ordinances' prohibiting abortion trafficking. The ordinances are part of a cultural shift that looks at abortion trafficking the same way as drug trafficking or sex trafficking, and are intentionally written to facilitate the end of abortion throughout the United States.

The ordinance also does the following:

• prohibits abortion-inducing drugs within the unincorporated area of Sterling County

• prohibits Texas waste management companies from transporting and disposing of aborted fetal remains from any out-of-state abortion provider within the unincorporated area of Sterling County

• declares the organizations in violation of the federal Comstock Act – which prohibits the mailing and receiving of abortion inducing drugs and abortion paraphernalia – to be criminal organizations, prohibiting such organizations from operating within the unincorporated area of Sterling County

The Private Enforcement Mechanism

The ordinance is not enforced by Sterling County, its elected officials, or any of their employees. Instead of being enforced criminally, the law is enforced civilly by private citizens. This is the same way the Texas Heartbeat Act is enforced: through a private enforcement mechanism that allows private citizens to file a lawsuit against anyone in violation of the law. The Sterling County SCFTU 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 aiding or abetting the abortionist in the killing of an unborn child.

The Thriving Texas Families Program

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

A Pro-Life County​

Sterling City (pop. 888), the only incorporated city in Sterling County, adopted its Sanctuary City for the Unborn ordinance on June 21, 2021. That vote was also unanimous, 5-0.

At the time, it was the 32nd city in the nation, and the 29th city in Texas, to pass an ordinance outlawing abortion within its city limits. Now, a total of 94 cities in the United States and 77 in Texas have passed such measures.

With Sterling County passing its ordinance, the county joins its county seat in having some of the strongest protections for pregnant mothers and their unborn children in the state of Texas.

Sterling County’s vote was the eighth unanimous passage of the ordinance by a political subdivision in Texas this year, following the City of Matador (pop. 570), Borden County (pop. 631), the City of Lockney (pop. 1,988), Hall County (2,825), Hood County (pop. 61,598), the City of Wellman (pop.205), and King County (pop. 265).

​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.