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

After a successful citizen initiative petition, another Texas city council is set to consider an ordinance outlawing abortion trafficking.

Exceeding the necessary support

On Monday, July 27, a citizen-initiative petition with 475 signatures was filed with the City of Snyder, Texas (pop. 11,251), proposing a Sanctuary City for the Unborn (SCFTU) ordinance further outlawing abortion. According to Article VII, Section 67 of the Snyder City Charter, to have a successful citizen initiative petition, petitioners had to obtain signatures of “qualified voters of the city equal in number to at least twenty-five percent of the number of votes cast at the time of the last general municipal election, or by two hundred fifty qualified voters, whichever is greater.”

Twenty-one days later, on Monday, August 17, City Secretary Shai Green confirmed that the initiative petition met the requirements outlined in the Snyder City Charter.

While only 250 signatures of registered voters were required, the initiative exceeded that number, with 302 of the 475 submitted determined to be qualified signatures of registered voters living within the city limits of the City of Snyder. As a result of the successful initiative, the proposed Snyder Sanctuary City for the Unborn ordinance would be on the next regular city council meeting agenda on September 14.

Following Scurry County

The Snyder SCFTU Ordinance is identical in substance to the ordinance outlawing abortion and declaring Scurry County a Sanctuary County for the Unborn that was unanimously adopted by the Scurry County Judge and Commissioners’ Court on Tuesday, July 21.

At the meeting, Scurry County Commissioner Shawn McCowen stated, “This is a no-brainer. I don’t even know why we are discussing it.” If the Snyder City Council follows Scurry County and adopts the proposed Snyder SCFTU Ordinance, the incorporated City of Snyder will have the same level of protections against abortion currently in place in the unincorporated area of Scurry County.

The proposed Snyder SCFTU ordinance will:

1. Prohibit elective abortions and the aiding or abetting of elective abortions within the City of Snyder by extending the private enforcement mechanism of the Texas Heartbeat Act from the point of detectable heartbeat to the point of fertilization.

2. Prohibit elective abortions on residents of the City of Snyder – regardless of where the abortion takes place.

3. Prohibit abortion traffickers and abortion trafficking organizations from trafficking women, including minors, through the City of Snyder for abortions across state lines.

4. Prohibit abortion-inducing drugs from being mailed into the City of Snyder by the creation of a localized private right of action, serving as an additional deterrent against out-of-state abortion pill distributors.

5. Recognize any organization involved in the mailing and receiving of abortion inducing drugs and abortion paraphernalia as criminal abortion organizations in violation of the federal Comstock Act and prohibit such organizations from doing business within the City of Snyder.

6. Prohibit Texas waste management companies from transporting through the City of Snyder the remains of dead babies that have been aborted at abortion facilities outside the State of Texas and brought back into Texas for disposal as trash in landfills.

The ordinance is enforced the same way the Texas Heartbeat Act is enforced, through a private enforcement mechanism that allows private citizens to file suit against any individual or organization in violation of the ordinance. The ordinance DOES NOT, however, allow any action to be taken against the mother of the unborn child. According to the proposed Snyder SCFTU Ordinance: 

Notwithstanding any other law, a civil action under this section may not be brought: against the woman upon whom the abortion was performed or induced or attempted to be performed or induced in violation of this ordinance, or against a pregnant woman who intends or seeks to abort her unborn child in violation of this ordinance.  ​

Measure Has Support of Texas Legislators​

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.​​

Since August 2023, over 50 political subdivisions have passed ordinances identical in substance to the proposed Snyder SCFTU ordinance.

Successful Citizen Initiative Petition Processes in Texas

Following Brownfield, Muleshoe, Ranger, Seminole, and Denver City, the Snyder SCFTU petition is the sixth successful citizen-initiative petition filed in Texas this year seeking to further protect pregnant mothers and their unborn children from the violence of abortion. 

To date, 13 city councils in Texas have considered SCFTU ordinances as a result of a successful citizen-initiative petition process. Six of those cities have already seen the measures on citywide ballots voted on by the residents. One city, the City of Seminole, will see the measure on a citywide ballot this November. Of the six cities that have already voted, only one has rejected the measure. The six cities that considered a SCFTU ordinance on a citywide ballot are:  

1. Lubbock (pop. 264,000): Adopted by voters May 1, 2021, with 62% voter approval.  

2. Athens (pop. 13,121): Adopted by voters November 8, 2022, with 58% voter approval.

3. Abilene (pop. 124,407): Adopted by voters November 8, 2022, with 53% voter approval.

4. San Angelo (pop. 101,612): Adopted by voters November 8, 2022, with 56% voter approval.

5. Plainview (pop. 22,343): Adopted by voters November 8, 2022, with 69% voter approval.

6. Amarillo (pop. 202,408): Rejected by voters November 5, 2024, with 59% of voters rejecting the measure.

The one city that will consider a SCFTU ordinance on this November’s ballot is:

• Seminole (pop. 7,952): Voters will decide during the midterm election on November 3, 2026.

Six city councils chose to adopt the measure themselves as a result of successful citizen-initiative petitions, thereby avoiding additional costs incurred by a citywide election:

1. Slaton (pop. 6,235): Instead of the ordinance going to the May 7, 2022 ballot, the Slaton City Commission adopted the ordinance in a 4-1 first-reading vote on November 15, 2021, and a unanimous 5-0 second and final reading vote on December 13, 2021.

2. Lindale (pop. 6,730): Instead of the ordinance going on the November 8, 2022 ballot, the Lindale City Council adopted the ordinance in a unanimous 4-0 vote on March 24, 2022.

3. Brownfield (pop. 9,976): Instead of the ordinance going on the November 3, 2026 ballot, the Brownfield City Council adopted the ordinance in a 5-3 vote on May 7, 2026.

4. Muleshoe (pop. 5,158): Instead of the ordinance going on the November 3, 2026 ballot, the Muleshoe City Council adopted the ordinance in a 4-1 vote on May 11, 2026.

5. Ranger (pop. 2,469): Instead of the ordinance going on the November 3, 2026 ballot, the Ranger City Commission adopted the ordinance in a unanimous 4-0 first-reading vote on May 26, 2026, and a unanimous 3-0 second and final-reading vote on May 28, 2026.

6. Denver City (pop. 4,911): Instead of the ordinance going on the November 3, 2026 ballot, the Denver City Council adopted the ordinance in a unanimous 6-0-1 vote on August 17, 2026.

Time will tell whether the Snyder City Council will go the route of Brownfield, Muleshoe, Ranger, and Denver City, or if they will go the route of the City of Seminole.

However, if the Snyder City Council rejects the measure like the Seminole City Council, the ordinance would not fall on the November 2026 ballot, but on the May 2027 ballot – as the August 17, 2026, deadline for local ballot measures has already passed. 

Scurry County Republican Party Chairman Zachary Gafford is optimistic that the Snyder City Council will adopt the measure. Gafford shared:

“This is a common sense measure with overwhelming support among Snyder residents. The county has already spoken clearly on this, and we are confident the city will do the same.” 

The Republican Party of Texas has been extremely supportive of local efforts to further outlaw abortion. During the Republican Party of Texas 2026 State Convention in Houston, 97.41% of Republican delegates from across the state voted in support of a party plank supporting the pro-life measures. Plank #216(l) reads:

“Abortion is not healthcare; it is homicide. Until the abolition of abortion is achieved, we support laws that restrict and regulate abortion, including but not limited to . . . Supporting the right of Texas municipalities to protect mothers and their preborn children in their communities by passing enforceable city ordinances that further ban abortions within their city limits, closing loopholes in state abortion laws.”

Since June 2019, 123 political subdivisions (99 cities and 24 counties) have passed local measures outlawing abortion throughout the United States, including 104 (82 cities and 22 counties) in Texas.

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.