Texas City Votes 'Yes' to Ban Abortion
Reproductive rights advocates fill the Texas capitol celebrating the defeat of the controversial anti-abortion bill SB5, which was up for a vote on the last day of the legislative special session June 25, 2013 in Austin, Texas. Erich Schlegel/Getty Images

Lubbock, Texas has just become a "sanctuary city for the unborn" after its residents voted to ban abortion completely, which makes it the 24th city in Texas to pass the measure.

"Today is a victory for life and proof that the silent majority will still stand up for its Christian conservative values," said Republican state Rep. Dustin Burrows as reported by Washington Examiner.

Lubbock voters supported "Proposition A," which prohibited abortions without any exceptions. Sixty-two percent voted in its favor, while 38 percent of voters opposed it.

The ordinance said it shall be unlawful for any individual to procure or perform an abortion at any stage of pregnancy in Lubbock.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas has opposed the anti-abortion ordinances, suing seven cities in Texas in the past.

Abortion Stance

The ACLU said the organization has a long history of "challenging unconstitutional abortion bans and will continue to fight to protect the fundamental rights of the people of Lubbock," Daily Caller reported.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has not publicly declared his stance on the abortion measure in the state. However, he signed a ban on "sanctuary cities," with respect to illegal immigration in 2017.

Planned Parenthood has been involved in major legal fights over the issue of abortion. The health organization also provides abortion services in Lubbock.

A Planned Parenthood spokesperson said that they want Lubbock residents to know that their doors are open, and they will continue to support their patients, according to The Hill.

Meanwhile, it is unclear when will the ordinance will be implemented completely. Execution of the measure will not be carried out by the government but relies almost entirely on citizens filing legal actions against violators. With the legal challenges, the U.S. Supreme Court might have to hear a case on the issue.

Texas Tech University constitutional law professor Richard D. Rosen said that the lawsuits would ultimately fail as long as "Roe is good law." Rosen added that it could make abortion providers disburse money for attorneys' fees.

Abortion in The U.S.

In 2017, around 862,320 abortions were done in clinical facilities in the U.S. The U.S. Supreme Court recognized the constitutional right to abortion in the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. It has also reaffirmed that right in subsequent decisions, according to a Guttmacher report.

Since 2010, the country's abortion landscape has grown increasingly with limits as more states adopt laws opposed to abortion rights.

Between 2011 and 2019, states imposed 483 new abortion restrictions, and these account for about 40 percent of all abortion restrictions imposed by states.

Alabama legislators voted to ban abortions in about all cases in 2019, while Louisiana limited the procedure to earlier in pregnancy, The New York Times reported.

A total of 55,440 abortions were done in Texas in 2017. However, not all abortions involved state residents. Some patients may have traveled from other states.

Other Texas residents may have also traveled to another state for an abortion. There was a three percent reduction in the abortion rate in Texas in the years between 2014 and 2017.

WATCH: Founder of Pro-Life Movement in Texas, Mark Lee Dickson, Discusses Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn - From EWTN