Texas city of O’Donnell becomes 95th ‘Sanctuary City for the Unborn’ in US

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On Wednesday, April 8, an “Ordinance Outlawing Abortion, declaring O’Donnell a Sanctuary City for the Unborn" was unanimously adopted by the city council of O’Donnell, Texas (pop. 704), making the city the 95th in the US to pass such an ordinance.

A unanimous vote

On April 8, City Councilman Joseph Luera made a motion to adopt the measure, which was seconded by Bruce Vaughn. City Councilmembers Emily Acosta, Joseph Luera, Irma Ruiz, Bruce Vaughn, and Armando Arguello voted a unanimous 5-0 in favor of the measure. 

The vote made the City of O’Donnell, located between Lamesa (pop. 9,461) and Tahoka (pop. 2,665), on U.S. Hwy 87 Business Route, the 78th City in the State of Texas and the 95th city in the nation to pass an ordinance banning abortion. The City of O’Donnell is also the 2nd city in Lynn County and the 2nd city in Dawson County to adopt a Sanctuary City for the Unborn (SCFTU) ordinance. The first city to adopt the measure in Lynn County was the city of New Home (pop. 320) in September 2020 and the first city to adopt the measure in Dawson County was the city of Ackerly (pop. 251) in December 2021.

How it began

The initiative to see O’Donnell become a ‘Sanctuary City for the Unborn’ was led by Lizzie Cook, president of the Turning Point USA Club America Chapter at O'Donnell High School.

After attending a congressional candidate forum held in Lubbock in February, where the statewide initiative was mentioned, Cook started to talk about the measure with her pastor at First Baptist Church O’Donnell and her city and county officials.

On February 23, as part of her research, Cook and chapter vice-president Kyndall Halfmann drove 40 miles west of the City of O’Donnell to attend a city council meeting in Wellman (pop. 205) where the measure was being considered. Seeing the Wellman City Council unanimously adopt the ordinance only fueled Cook’s fire to see the measure passed in her city even more. 

On March 18, First Baptist Church O’Donnell Pastor Taylor Wood and several members of the community went before the city council. There they spoke during public comment, encouraging their city leaders to consider the measure at a future meeting.

At that meeting, Mayor Max Mendieta was positive about the ordinance being considered at a future meeting and encouraged educating the community about the measure. The next week, on March 23, Cook went with her pastor before the Lynn County Commissioners’ Court during public comment, encouraging the county leadership to do the same.

Cook shared:

“There is no neutral position on this issue. A community is judged by how it treats those who cannot defend themselves. And there is no one more defenseless than an unborn child. They have no voice in this room. They have no vote in Congress. They have no power. But you do. And that means the responsibility is yours.” 

Nadia Valenzuela, one of several residents who signed the petition circulated by Cook and others, said she wanted to see O’Donnell become a ‘Sanctuary City for the Unborn’ because “It is an abomination to God to kill his innocent creation. Abortion must end.”

On April 6, Cook organized a SCFTU Interest Meeting at First Baptist Church O’Donnell, and invited elected officials and community members to attend to learn more about it. At that meeting, SCFTU Lynn County Guidesheets were made available to those in attendance and questions about the initiative were answered. 

Prior to the vote, Pastor Wood gave an impassioned speech before the city council, stating: 

"As elected officials of the city of O’Donnell, you have an historic opportunity to defend innocent women and babies from the evil of abortion and abortion trafficking by passing this ordinance. Imagine if your 14-year-old daughter or granddaughter was groomed and taken without your knowledge across state lines to an abortion clinic in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Then, an abortion, paid for by George Soros' money, is performed on her without your consent. After being trained to lie to you and hide what happened, she’s sent back, broken hearted, confused, and irreparably harmed.

Now imagine you could pass a law to make sure no one in O’Donnell would have to go through this. You have that opportunity now."

Pastor Wood continued: 

"Every single day, thousands of babies are being murdered, their mothers are left traumatized, and the abortion industry is using our roads to transport infant body parts to Texas landfills.

There is no one more vulnerable, no one more defenseless, no one more voiceless, than an unborn child.

There are babies in the NICU in Lubbock younger than the one being killed in New Mexico as we speak. Our state representatives are begging local city councils to help close loopholes and do everything possible to protect the sanctity of life for all Texans. Who knows, there may be unborn babies in O’Donnell right now that you will help rescue...."

Pastor Wood's speech concluded by urging the council members to vote yes, and in doing so, "you are saying no to the evils of abortion trafficking, and you are saying yes to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all humans, no matter how small." 

The Ordinance

The O’Donnell SCFTU ordinance:

(1) prohibits performing elective abortions and aiding or abetting elective abortions within the city limits of O’Donnell, adding additional enforcement coverage beyond that provided in state law,

(2) prohibits elective abortions on O’Donnell residents – regardless of where the abortion took place,

(3) prohibits abortion trafficking pregnant mothers to abortion facilities across state lines,

(4) recognizes 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 and prohibits such organizations from operating within the city limits of O’Donnell, and

(5) prohibits the transportation and disposal of the bodies of aborted babies killed by out-of-state abortion providers anywhere within the city limits of O’Donnell. 

The ordinance is not enforced by the city or local law enforcement, but is enforced the same way as the Texas Heartbeat Act: through the creation of a private right of action allowing citizens to file civil lawsuits against anyone violating the law.​

The measure 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 — including abortion traffickers.

The O'Donnell SCFTU 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. 

O'Donnell is the fourth city and the ninth political subdivision in 2026 to pass a ‘Sanctuary for the Unborn’ ordinance, following the Texas cities of Matador (pop. 570), Lockney (pop.1,988), and Wellman (pop. 205), and the Texas counties of Borden (pop. 631), Hall (pop.2,825), Hood (pop. 61,598), King (pop. 265), and Sterling (pop. 1,372). All nine votes in favor of the measures have been unanimous.

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 a unanimous 4-0, the vote against the measure in Brownfield was split 5-3. 

Other cities in Lynn County that could pass a SCFTU ordinance include Tahoka (pop. 2,665) and Wilson (pop. 504). The Wilson City Council originally considered the measure in October 2020, but rejected the measure in a 3-1 vote at their November 2020 council meeting. With 62 cities and 19 counties having passed the measure in Texas since Wilson rejected the measure, many believe it is time for the City of Wilson to reconsider the measure.

Other cities in Dawson County that could pass the measure include Lamesa (pop. 9,461) and Los Ybanez (pop. 19). Lynn County (pop. 5,596) could also pass anordinance covering the unincorporated area of Lynn County. The commissioners are set to consider the measure at their next meeting on April 13. 

Get involved

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 what city, county, or state they are located in.