20th Texas county outlaws abortion and use of roads for ‘abortion trafficking’

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On Monday, April 13, the Lynn County Commissioners' Court in Texas considered and unanimously adopted an ordinance outlawing abortion and declaring Lynn County a Sanctuary County for the Unborn.

The Details:

After a brief period of discussion about the ordinance, Commissioner Tate Gass made the motion to adopt the measure. The motion was seconded by Commissioner John Hawthorne. Upon a full vote of the court, County Judge Mike Braddock and Lynn County Commissioners Matt Woodley, John Hawthorne, Tate Gass, and Larry Durham all voted in favor of the measure – making the vote a unanimous 5-0. 

The vote followed the City of O’Donnell, (pop. 704), which had become the 95th Sanctuary City for the Unborn in the nation just days before. The City of O’Donnell was the second city in Lynn County to adopt a Sanctuary City for the Unborn (SCFTU) ordinance, following the city of New Home (pop. 320) in September 2020. 

First Baptist Church O’Donnell Pastor Taylor Wood told the Lamesa Press Reporter, "None of this would have happened without our high school students speaking up and initiating it."

Lizzie Cook, president of the Turning Point USA Club America Chapter at O'Donnell High School, spoke at the previous meeting of the Lynn County Commissioners’ Court on Monday, March 23. At that meeting Cook encouraged her county leadership to consider the measure in the near future.

After attending a Sanctuary for the Unborn Interest Meeting at First Baptist Church O’Donnell on April 6, Commissioner Tate Gass led the charge for the ordinance to be placed on the agenda for their next meeting on April 13. 

The unanimous 5-0 passage made Lynn County (pop. 5,596) the 20th 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), King (pop. 265), and Sterling (pop. 1,372)  counties — as well as the 22nd county and the 117th 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 Ordinance:

The Lynn County SCFTU Ordinance prohibits elective abortions and the aiding or abetting of elective abortions within the unincorporated area of Lynn 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 Lynn 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 Lynn 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 Lynn County.”

This means it is now illegal to use the sections of U.S. Highway 84, U.S. Highway 87, U.S. Highway 380, and all sections of all other roads found in the unincorporated area of Lynn County for the purpose of abortion trafficking.

The Lynn County SCFTU Ordinance connects the county ordinances passed in Lubbock, Crosby, Dickens, King, Motley, and Hall with the county ordinances passed in Borden, Dawson, Mitchell, Howard, and Sterling. This now creates a 11,000 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 is intentionally written to facilitate the end of abortion throughout the United States.

The ordinance also:

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

The Private Enforcement Mechanism

The ordinance is not enforced by Lynn 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 Lynn 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.

Highlighting the Thriving Texas Families Program

In addition to the strong protections for pregnant mothers and their unborn children within the local law, the Lynn 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.

Unanimous Votes:

Lynn County’s vote was the 10th 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), King County (pop. 265), Sterling County (pop. 1,372), and the City of O’Donnell (pop. 704).

The only two political subdivisions that have rejected the measure in 2026 have been Terry County (pop. 11,602) and Brownfield (pop. 9,799). While the vote against the measure in Terry County was unanimous, 4-0, the vote against the measure in Brownfield was split 5-3. 

Other cities in Lynn County that could pass SCFTU ordinances include the cities of Tahoka (pop. 2,665) and Wilson (pop. 504). The Wilson City Council originally considered the measure in October 2020, but rejected it in a 3-1 vote at their November 2020 council meeting. 

Citizens who wish to see their city or county pass an ordinance to further protect pregnant mothers and their unborn children from the violence of abortion are encouraged to sign the online petition – regardless of the city, county, or state in which they live.