City of Lockney in Texas becomes 93rd ‘Sanctuary City for the Unborn’ in US

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

On the morning of Tuesday, January 20, the city council of Lockney, Texas (pop. 1,988), considered and passed an “Ordinance Outlawing Abortion, declaring Lockney a Sanctuary City for the Unborn.”

Unanimous vote, ordinance is first in county

After hearing a presentation by Right to Life Across Texas, and after hearing the opinion of Lockney City Attorney Lanny Voss, Councilman Edward Marks made a motion to adopt the measure. The motion was seconded by Councilwoman Rosio Reyes. When Mayor Steve Wright asked who all were in favor of the measure, Councilmembers Edward Marks, Rosio Reyes, Donnie MacLaughlin, and Dart Carthel all raised their hands in support of the measure, making it a unanimous 4-0 vote. 

The vote made the City of Lockney, located between Plainview (pop. 22,343) and Floydada (pop.3,038) on U.S. Highway 70, the 76th city in the State of Texas and the 93rd city in the nation to pass an ordinance banning abortion. The City of Lockney is also the 1st city in Floyd County to pass a Sanctuary City for the Unborn ordinance. 

The ordinance

The Lockney Sanctuary City for the Unborn Ordinance prohibits: (1) performing an elective abortion and aiding or abetting elective abortions within the city limits of Lockney, (2) elective abortions on residents of Lockney – regardless of where the abortion takes place, (3) abortion trafficking through the City of Lockney, (4) the mailing of abortion-inducing drugs into the City of Lockney, (5) criminal organizations from doing business inside the city limits of Lockney, and (6) the transportation or disposal of the remains of unborn children who have been killed by an elective abortion across state lines and carried by waste management companies into Texas in and through the City of Lockney. 

Private enforcement

The Lockney Sanctuary City for the Unborn Ordinance is enforced the same way the Texas Heartbeat Act is enforced, through a private enforcement mechanism allowing private citizens to file civil lawsuits against anyone in violation of the law. 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. 

The Lockney Sanctuary City for the Unborn Ordinance also educates about the state-funded Thriving Texas Families Program and the services provided through pregnancy care providers partnered with the Texas Pregnancy Care Network and The Pregnancy Network. 

The City of Lockney is the second city and the third political subdivision in 2026 to pass a Sanctuary for the Unborn Ordinance, following the City of Matador (pop. 570) and Borden County (pop. 631) – both located in Texas. Lockney is not expected to be the last city to further outlaw abortion. 

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.