Overview

• Lubbock County, a conservative hub with more than 300,000 residents near the New Mexico border, has enacted a ban on travel assistance for abortions, making it the fourth and largest county in Texas to adopt such a measure.
• The ordinance was passed in a 3-0 vote and allows citizens to sue anyone who assists a pregnant woman in getting an abortion in Lubbock County or helps them travel through the county seeking abortion care. It does not apply to the person seeking an abortion.
• The ordinance was drafted by anti-abortion activist Mark Lee Dickson and former Texas solicitor general Jonathan F. Mitchell, the same pair responsible for Texas's six-week abortion ban enforced through private citizens' lawsuits. Notably, this ordinance does not involve county officers or employees, seemingly circumventing an immediate court challenge and possible injunction.
• The enforcement will likely rely on someone learning of a person assisting a pregnant woman in travel for a procedure to bring a suit, and is expected to function similarly to the six-week abortion ban, creating a chilling effect despite attracting few cases.
• Although the ordinance has seen widespread support among local residents, critics have raised concerns, citing potential constitutional rights violations, confusion, and the creation of fear-inducing barriers to essential health care, risking a backlash in upcoming elections.