Pro-life Lubbock Tells Abortion: No Trespassing!

May 4, 2021

The states aren't just taking the fight to the Left on election reform. They're making it clear to the Biden administration and every national Democrat that their radical social agenda doesn't fly in America -- not on gender and certainly not on life. If this year plays out the way some liberals think, "2021 will end up as the most damaging anti-abortion state legislative session in a decade." Maybe, the Left-leaning Guttmacher Institute points out, "ever."

Since January, 536 pro-life bills have been introduced in 46 states, the group says -- and a good number of them (146) ban abortion after a certain point in pregnancy. It's "unprecedented," researchers say. Already, 61 pro-life proposals have passed "putting the 2021 legislative session on track to surpass the record set in 2011." And the kicker, Guttmacher agrees, is that most of them are an open invitation for the Supreme Court to revisit Roe v. Wade.

"To put those figures in context, by this time in 2011 -- the year previously regarded as the most hostile to abortion rights since Roe was decided -- 42 restrictions had been enacted, including six bans," the former research arm of Planned Parenthood pointed out.

And that doesn't include any of the momentum on the local level. In communities like Lubbock, Texas, voters are banding together to keep abortion outside the city limits. By designating themselves "sanctuary cities for the unborn," a trend that started in 2019 in the state, a growing number of towns are making it clear that groups like Planned Parenthood aren't welcome.

In Lubbock, the city council actually rejected the idea, claiming it was somehow unconstitutional. Even that didn't deter the locals, who decided to put the issue through the petition process. The ordinance, area reporters say, was the only item on the ballot last weekend -- and it passed 62 percent to 38 percent. Jim Baxa, one of the West Texas for Life organizers, was thrilled. "All these churches banded together. There were 200 churches in the City of Lubbock, working together to stand up for life. It's excellent."

Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas wasn't inclined to agree, and on Saturday night released a statement insisting that getting rid of them wouldn't be so easy. Unlike the other sanctuary cities for the unborn, Lubbock is the first one with an abortion business. So it'll be interesting to see what sort of court challenges this idea sparks. Already, the nation's biggest abortion network is claiming, "Planned Parenthood is a trusted resource for anyone in Lubbock and the surrounding communities for essential healthcare services. We want Lubbock residents to know: Our doors are open and we will continue to advocate for our patients, no matter what."

Lubbock Mayor Dan Pope, meanwhile, has made it clear that the city council will canvas the votes next week, and the ordinance will go into effect as early as June 1. As state Rep. Dustin Burrows (R) said, "Today is a victory for life and proof that the silent majority will still stand up for its Christian conservative values."

The voters have spoken in Lubbock and states across the country. If President Biden and his party insist on pushing an extreme abortion agenda, then take it from Texas: they do so at their peril.