Thread by @TexasTribune

1/ Lubbock voters passed on Saturday an ordinance that tries to outlaw abortions in the city’s limits, likely prompting a lawsuit over what opponents say is an unconstitutional ban on the procedure. bit.ly/3tjdubG

2/ The ordinance allows the family members of a person who has an abortion within city limits to sue the provider and anyone who assists someone getting an abortion, like by driving them to a clinic.

There aren't exceptions for rape or incest. bit.ly/3tjdubG

3/ The vote comes less than a year after Planned Parenthood opened a clinic in Lubbock and months after the City Council rejected the ordinance on legal grounds.

Council members also warned it could tee up a costly court fight. bit.ly/3tjdubG

4/ The ordinance would not be enforced by the government unless the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision or made other changes to abortion laws.

It instead relies on private citizens filing lawsuits. bit.ly/3tjdubG

5/ Richard D. Rosen, a constitutional law professor at Texas Tech University, expects someone would sue Planned Parenthood and the legal fight would go from there.

“As long as Roe is good law I think these suits will ultimately fail," Rosen said. bit.ly/3tjdubG

6/ But supporters of the ordinance are confident they’ll prevail in court and are deeply skeptical of a 17-page legal analysis posted on the city website and cited by the City Council that says the proposed ordinance is void under state law. bit.ly/3tjdubG

7/ The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, which previously sued seven East Texas towns that passed similar ordinances, has hinted at a lawsuit. bit.ly/3tjdubG

8/ The strategy of waging abortion fights at the local level has divided staunch anti-abortion activists.

Several other Texas towns — including Mineral Wells and Omaha — have voted down similar ordinances or walked them back under advice from city attorneys.

9/ The “sanctuary city for the unborn” movement started in the East Texas town of Waskom in 2019 and has rippled through smaller towns. bit.ly/2PNUDIh

10/ The ordinance in Lubbock comes as #TXlege and other Republican-led statehouses across the country are pushing to curtail abortion access and challenge Roe v. Wade before a newly conservative-leaning Supreme Court. bit.ly/3vJw7qO

11/11 Without the recently opened clinic in Lubbock, the closest abortion clinics are over five hours away by car.

Some say that could prove to be a cost-prohibitive journey for people needing to stay overnight to comply with state abortion regulations. bit.ly/3tjdubG