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Guest Column·By Mark Lee Dickson
Plains, Texas becomes 102nd ‘Sanctuary City for the Unborn’ in US
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this guest post are solely those of the author.
On Monday, November 9, 2026, an “Ordinance Outlawing Abortion, Declaring Plains a Sanctuary City for the Unborn," was adopted in a 4-1 vote by the city council of Plains, Texas (pop. 1,355), making the city the 102nd in the U.S. and the 85th city in Texas to pass an ordinance outlawing abortion.
Plains, Texas, is located in Yoakum County, between Denver City and Morton (pop. 1,608) on Texas State Highway 214, and between Tatum, New Mexico (pop. 706) and Brownfield, Texas (pop. 9,779), on U.S. Highway 380. The City of Plains is the fourth Texas city bordering New Mexico to have adopted the ordinance this year, following Muleshoe (pop. 5,158), Denver City (pop. 4,911), and Seminole (pop. 7,952).
The Plains Sanctuary City for the Unborn Ordinance:
(1) prohibits performing an elective abortion and aiding or abetting elective abortions within the city limits of Plains;
(2) prohibits elective abortions on Plains residents, regardless of where the abortion takes place;
(3) prohibits abortion trafficking through the City of Plains;
(4) prohibits mailing abortion-inducing drugs into Plains;
(5) recognizes organizations involved in mailing and receiving abortion-inducing drugs and abortion paraphernalia with the intent to aid or abet an elective abortion as criminal organizations in violation of the federal Comstock Act and prohibits such organizations from doing business inside the City of Plains; and
(6) prohibits the transportation and disposal within the City of Plains of the remains of unborn children killed by elective abortion across state lines and brought into Texas by waste management companies for processing and disposal as trash.
The 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.
Instead of law enforcement enforcing the ordinance or the city administering fines, the ordinance allows for private citizens to enforce the measure through a private enforcement mechanism, allowing lawsuits to be filed against an abortionist, an abortion facility, or any abortion trafficking organization or individual abortion trafficker in violation of the ordinance. However, under no circumstance may an action be brought against the mother of the unborn child. This is the same type of enforcement used in the Texas Heartbeat Act.
While the council first considered the measure at their council meeting on Thursday, October 15, 2026, the measure was tabled to further educate the community about the measure, give more time for community input, and allow for the full city council to make the decision – especially since one council member, Councilman Jaime Williamson, was not in attendance during the October meeting.
While only two individuals spoke during public comment at the October meeting, one speaking in favor of the passage of the ordinance and one speaking against the passage of the ordinance, the next month brought more input. Seven individuals spoke during public comment at the November meeting, with four speaking in favor of passing the ordinance and three speaking against the measure at that time.
After much discussion between Plains City Council members and the public, Mayor Rodney Guetersloh asked the council for a motion. Councilman Jaime Williamson moved to adopt the measure. Mayor Pro-Tem Steven Lopez seconded the motion. Councilmembers Karen Redman-Williams and Justin Etsy joined Williamson and Lopez in voting for the measure, while Councilwoman Cynthia Thomason voted against it, making the vote 4-1.
Councilwoman Thomason stated that while she believes abortion is wrong and is 100% pro-life, she was not comfortable voting for the ordinance due – in part – to how the measure would be enforced.
After the vote, Plains native Bradley Palmer shared:
"Tonight's vote by the Plains City Council was a huge win for unborn children! The thoughtfulness and leadership on the council left me feeling that my hometown has been and will continue to be in good hands! Thank you for giving these babies a voice!"
Family Worship Center of Plains Pastor Moises Gonzales shared:
"Abortion is something that is disturbing and heartbreaking. Those are innocent lives, precious babies who deserve love, protection, and a chance to experience this world. Every life is a creation of God, and made in his image. He doesn’t make mistakes.
I believe we should be standing up for the most vulnerable among us. I pray that God softens hearts, opens eyes, and brings compassion and understanding where there is so much disregard for life. I pray for the unborn babies who cannot speak for themselves, that they may be protected and given the chance to live.
God is the author of life, and no life is insignificant in His eyes. We should never lose sight of the value He places on every single one of us."
With the incorporated cities of Plains and Denver City now having adopted the measure, the only part of Yoakum County (pop. 7,694) without additional protections for pregnant mothers and their unborn children is the county's unincorporated area.
If the Yoakum County Judge and Commissioners’ Court adopted a similar measure, like their neighbors in Cochran County, every square inch of Yoakum County would have the same level of protection for pregnant mothers and their unborn children.
In adopting the measure, the Plains City Council had the support of many pro-life legislators from across the State of Texas. In August 2023, 20 Texas Senators and Representatives penned a letter supporting cities and counties passing such measures across the State of Texas. The letter read:
While it is true that abortion is outlawed in the entire State of Texas, from the point of conception, our work is far from over. Right now, throughout the State of Texas, women are being trafficked across our borders by abortion traffickers funded by abortion trafficking organizations still operating in our state. As a result, these women are being abused and traumatized by abortion across our Texas–New Mexico border and sent back to Texas for our cities and counties to deal with the aftermath taking place in our homes, our schools, our churches, and our hospitals.
The Sanctuary for the Unborn ordinances seek to protect these institutions by putting safeguards in place to protect men, women, and their children for years to come. These ordinances, which seek to close as many loopholes as possible, do not penalize women who seek or undergo abortions, but place the penalty on the party who most deserves it – the abortionist and the industry profiting from the unjust procedure, including abortion traffickers.
Plains is the 11th city and the 19th political subdivision in 2026 to pass a ‘Sanctuary for the Unborn’ ordinance, following the Texas cities of Matador (pop. 570), Lockney (pop.1,988), Wellman (pop. 205), O’Donnell (pop. 704), Brownfield (pop. 9,976), Muleshoe (pop. 5,158), Ranger (pop. 2,469), Denver City (pop. 4,911), Snyder (pop. 11,251), Seminole (pop. 7,952), and the Texas counties of Borden (pop. 631), Hall (pop.2,825), Hood (pop. 61,598), King (pop. 265), Sterling (pop. 1,372), Lynn (pop. 5,596), Collingsworth (pop. 2,652), and Scurry (pop. 16,932).
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.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
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Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
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·Guest Column·By Mark Lee Dickson
Plains, Texas becomes 102nd ‘Sanctuary City for the Unborn’ in US
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this guest post are solely those of the author.
On Monday, November 9, 2026, an “Ordinance Outlawing Abortion, Declaring Plains a Sanctuary City for the Unborn," was adopted in a 4-1 vote by the city council of Plains, Texas (pop. 1,355), making the city the 102nd in the U.S. and the 85th city in Texas to pass an ordinance outlawing abortion.
Plains, Texas, is located in Yoakum County, between Denver City and Morton (pop. 1,608) on Texas State Highway 214, and between Tatum, New Mexico (pop. 706) and Brownfield, Texas (pop. 9,779), on U.S. Highway 380. The City of Plains is the fourth Texas city bordering New Mexico to have adopted the ordinance this year, following Muleshoe (pop. 5,158), Denver City (pop. 4,911), and Seminole (pop. 7,952).
The Plains Sanctuary City for the Unborn Ordinance:
(1) prohibits performing an elective abortion and aiding or abetting elective abortions within the city limits of Plains;
(2) prohibits elective abortions on Plains residents, regardless of where the abortion takes place;
(3) prohibits abortion trafficking through the City of Plains;
(4) prohibits mailing abortion-inducing drugs into Plains;
(5) recognizes organizations involved in mailing and receiving abortion-inducing drugs and abortion paraphernalia with the intent to aid or abet an elective abortion as criminal organizations in violation of the federal Comstock Act and prohibits such organizations from doing business inside the City of Plains; and
(6) prohibits the transportation and disposal within the City of Plains of the remains of unborn children killed by elective abortion across state lines and brought into Texas by waste management companies for processing and disposal as trash.
The 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.
Instead of law enforcement enforcing the ordinance or the city administering fines, the ordinance allows for private citizens to enforce the measure through a private enforcement mechanism, allowing lawsuits to be filed against an abortionist, an abortion facility, or any abortion trafficking organization or individual abortion trafficker in violation of the ordinance. However, under no circumstance may an action be brought against the mother of the unborn child. This is the same type of enforcement used in the Texas Heartbeat Act.
While the council first considered the measure at their council meeting on Thursday, October 15, 2026, the measure was tabled to further educate the community about the measure, give more time for community input, and allow for the full city council to make the decision – especially since one council member, Councilman Jaime Williamson, was not in attendance during the October meeting.
While only two individuals spoke during public comment at the October meeting, one speaking in favor of the passage of the ordinance and one speaking against the passage of the ordinance, the next month brought more input. Seven individuals spoke during public comment at the November meeting, with four speaking in favor of passing the ordinance and three speaking against the measure at that time.
After much discussion between Plains City Council members and the public, Mayor Rodney Guetersloh asked the council for a motion. Councilman Jaime Williamson moved to adopt the measure. Mayor Pro-Tem Steven Lopez seconded the motion. Councilmembers Karen Redman-Williams and Justin Etsy joined Williamson and Lopez in voting for the measure, while Councilwoman Cynthia Thomason voted against it, making the vote 4-1.
Councilwoman Thomason stated that while she believes abortion is wrong and is 100% pro-life, she was not comfortable voting for the ordinance due – in part – to how the measure would be enforced.
After the vote, Plains native Bradley Palmer shared:
"Tonight's vote by the Plains City Council was a huge win for unborn children! The thoughtfulness and leadership on the council left me feeling that my hometown has been and will continue to be in good hands! Thank you for giving these babies a voice!"
Family Worship Center of Plains Pastor Moises Gonzales shared:
"Abortion is something that is disturbing and heartbreaking. Those are innocent lives, precious babies who deserve love, protection, and a chance to experience this world. Every life is a creation of God, and made in his image. He doesn’t make mistakes.
I believe we should be standing up for the most vulnerable among us. I pray that God softens hearts, opens eyes, and brings compassion and understanding where there is so much disregard for life. I pray for the unborn babies who cannot speak for themselves, that they may be protected and given the chance to live.
God is the author of life, and no life is insignificant in His eyes. We should never lose sight of the value He places on every single one of us."
With the incorporated cities of Plains and Denver City now having adopted the measure, the only part of Yoakum County (pop. 7,694) without additional protections for pregnant mothers and their unborn children is the county's unincorporated area.
If the Yoakum County Judge and Commissioners’ Court adopted a similar measure, like their neighbors in Cochran County, every square inch of Yoakum County would have the same level of protection for pregnant mothers and their unborn children.
In adopting the measure, the Plains City Council had the support of many pro-life legislators from across the State of Texas. In August 2023, 20 Texas Senators and Representatives penned a letter supporting cities and counties passing such measures across the State of Texas. The letter read:
While it is true that abortion is outlawed in the entire State of Texas, from the point of conception, our work is far from over. Right now, throughout the State of Texas, women are being trafficked across our borders by abortion traffickers funded by abortion trafficking organizations still operating in our state. As a result, these women are being abused and traumatized by abortion across our Texas–New Mexico border and sent back to Texas for our cities and counties to deal with the aftermath taking place in our homes, our schools, our churches, and our hospitals.
The Sanctuary for the Unborn ordinances seek to protect these institutions by putting safeguards in place to protect men, women, and their children for years to come. These ordinances, which seek to close as many loopholes as possible, do not penalize women who seek or undergo abortions, but place the penalty on the party who most deserves it – the abortionist and the industry profiting from the unjust procedure, including abortion traffickers.
Plains is the 11th city and the 19th political subdivision in 2026 to pass a ‘Sanctuary for the Unborn’ ordinance, following the Texas cities of Matador (pop. 570), Lockney (pop.1,988), Wellman (pop. 205), O’Donnell (pop. 704), Brownfield (pop. 9,976), Muleshoe (pop. 5,158), Ranger (pop. 2,469), Denver City (pop. 4,911), Snyder (pop. 11,251), Seminole (pop. 7,952), and the Texas counties of Borden (pop. 631), Hall (pop.2,825), Hood (pop. 61,598), King (pop. 265), Sterling (pop. 1,372), Lynn (pop. 5,596), Collingsworth (pop. 2,652), and Scurry (pop. 16,932).
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.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
Angeline Tan
·Guest Column
Mark Lee Dickson
·International
Diana L. Banister
·Guest Column
Oregon Right to Life
·Guest Column
Lisa Murphy
·Guest Column
Mark Lee Dickson
·Guest Column
Mark Lee Dickson
·Guest Column
Mark Lee Dickson
·Guest Column
Mark Lee Dickson
·Guest Column
Mark Lee Dickson
·Guest Column
Mark Lee Dickson
·