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On Monday, November 24th, the Commissioners Court of Howard County, Texas (pop. 34,860) considered an ordinance “Outlawing Abortion Within the Unincorporated Area of Howard County, Declaring Howard County a Sanctuary County for the Unborn.” After a presentation from Right to Life Across Texas, eleven residents of Howard County spoke on the measure. The six who spoke in favor of the measure included: Christ Fellowship Church of Big Spring Pastor Chance Nichols, Hillcrest Baptist Church of Big Spring Pastor Chris Cunningham, Ken Thomas, Michael Calley, Kanon Crockett, and Haddon Nichols. The five who spoke against the measure included: Howard County Democrat Party Chairman Ed Moughon, Democrat House Representative District 72 Candidate Shiloh Salazar, Rebecca Moughon, Ben Zeichick, and Ashlynn Sloan.
The measure was adopted in a unanimous 5-0 vote by County Judge Randy Johnson and County Commissioners Eddilisa Ray, Cash Berry, Jimmie Long, and Doug Wagner. In adopting the measure, Howard County became the 14th county in the nation and the 12th county in Texas to pass a Sanctuary County for the Unborn Ordinance. Howard County follows the Texas counties of: Mitchell, Goliad, Cochran, Lubbock, Dawson, Jack, Shackelford, Camp, Shelby, Hopkins, and Dickens County. Howard County is the 6th county and the 21st political subdivision to pass such a measure in 2025.
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Many from throughout the community celebrated the vote. Shannon Thomason, the former Mayor of Big Spring, also celebrated the decision. Thomason shared, “Today’s unanimous vote approving the ordinance in making Howard County a Sanctuary County for the Unborn is an immensely satisfying cap on almost three years worth of work. I couldn’t be happier with the result.”
Pastor Kevin Knudson of Life Church shared, “I appreciate the unity of both the Judge and Commissioners in such an important issue. I am thrilled that they see this ordinance as more than a symbolic gesture. In fact, Howard County has made a strong statement against those who wish to ignore God’s Law and evade the laws of Texas.” Knudson continued, “While there is still work to do to ensure the quality healthcare of the citizens of Howard County, today’s vote will continue to protect the unborn and their mothers.”
Pastor Chance Nichols of Christ Fellowship Church shared, “The County Commissioners did a great job representing their constituents today. This is a conservative, pro-life county, and this ordinance reflects the beliefs of the people.” Nichols continued, “As a county, we may not be able to stop Texas women traveling to other states to receive abortions, but we can say that abortion traffickers cannot use our roads to get them there. We may not be able to stop waste management companies from taking the remains of aborted babies from California to the Dallas-Fort Worth area to be inhumanely disposed of, but we can say that they cannot use our roads to get them there. Our Commissioners stood for justice today. May many more do likewise.”
Howard County is a conservative county where over 81.01 % of voters cast their ballot for the Republican candidate for president in 2024. When given the opportunity, Republicans in their county have voted for life. During the 2018 Republican Party Primary, voters in the Republican Party Primary had the opportunity to vote on proposition #7. This proposition gave voters the chance to voice their opinion if they were “In Favor” or “Against” the following statement: “I believe abortion should be abolished in Texas.” In Howard County, out of 2,067 votes, 77.79% (1,608) voted in favor of the pro-life proposition. During the 2022 Republican Party Primary, voters in the Republican Party Primary had the opportunity to vote on proposition #5. This proposition gave voters the chance to voice their opinion if they were “In Favor” or “Against” the following statement: “Texas should enact a state constitutional amendment to defend the sanctity of innocent human life, created in the image of God, from fertilization until natural death.” In Howard County, out of 2,916 votes, 87.86% (2,562) voted in favor of the pro-life proposition.
The Howard County Sanctuary County for the Unborn (SCFTU) Ordinance puts into place six provisions. These provisions prohibit: (1) performing an elective abortion and aiding or abetting elective abortions within the unincorporated area of Howard County, (2) elective abortions on residents of the unincorporated area of Howard County – regardless of where the abortion takes place, (3) abortion trafficking through the unincorporated area of Howard County, (4) the mailing of abortion-inducing drugs into the unincorporated area of Howard County, (5) criminal organizations from doing business inside the unincorporated area of Howard County, and (6) the transportation and disposal of the remains of unborn children who have been killed by an elective abortion across state lines and carried by waste management companies into Texas in and through the unincorporated area of Howard County.
The Howard County Sanctuary County for the Unborn Ordinance is enforced the same way the Texas Heartbeat Act is enforced, through a private enforcement mechanism. This means that the law is not enforced by local law enforcement, but by private citizens filing a lawsuit against bad actors, such as: an abortionist who intends to perform an abortion on a resident of the unincorporated area of Howard County, a company that mails abortion-inducing drugs to any household in the unincorporated area of Howard County, abortion trafficking organizations seeking to take minors across state lines for abortions, or waste management companies transporting dead unborn babies from abortion facilities across state lines through the county for disposal in Texas landfills. While the ordinance allows for lawsuits to be filed against any of these bad actors for violating the ordinance, the ordinance is clear that no action may be taken against the pregnant woman who intends or seeks to abort her unborn child.
In addition to providing protections for pregnant mothers and their unborn children, the ordinance also educates members of the community on the Thriving Texas Families Program and the resources that can be obtained through centers listed on the Texas Pregnancy Care Network website at www.texaspregnancy.org and The Pregnancy Network website operated by Human Coalition at www.thepregnancynetwork.clinic
Howard County received a letter from Attorney Jonathan F. Mitchell, committing to represent Howard County at no cost to the city or taxpayers for any litigation that may arise from the passage of their ordinance further outlawing abortion and abortion trafficking.
Residents in cities and counties across the nation who are interested in seeing their local government pass an enforceable ordinance are encouraged to sign the online petition from the Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn Initiative.
LifeNews Note: Mark Lee Dickson lives in Texas and is the founder of the Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn Initiative.
The post Howard County, Texas, Becomes 14th County in America to Ban Abortions appeared first on LifeNews.com.
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