The abortion ballot questions that will be considered in ten states have received a great deal of attention this election cycle. Both supporters and opponents of legal abortion have spent millions of dollars battling over Amendment 4 in Florida. Abortion ballot questions in states as diverse as Missouri, Arizona, South Dakota, and New York have each received national media coverage. Receiving far less attention is a ballot question in Amarillo, Texas, that has important policy implications in the Lone Star State.

On Tuesday, voters in Amarillo will have the opportunity to make it a Sanctuary City for the Unborn. Even though preborn children are legally protected in Texas, this local election has important policy implications. First, some Texas women are circumventing the state’s protective pro-life laws by obtaining chemical-abortion pills through the mail. Local pro-lifers hope this ordinance will prevent the shipment of chemical abortion pills to Amarillo.

Second, Amarillo is located in North Texas and is geographically close to Colorado and New Mexico, two states where abortion is legal and abortion policy is permissive. Organizers hope that this ordinance will prevent the trafficking of pregnant women to these states. They also hope it will prevent supporters of legal abortion from sending Amarillo minors to other states to obtain abortions.

If enacted, this ballot proposition would create a private right of action that would allow private individuals to enforce the law. The Texas Heartbeat Act, which took effect in September 2021, contained a similar private right of action. It was a controversial legal and policy strategy. However, litigation to strike down the Heartbeat Act failed. Furthermore, data on abortions and births show that the Heartbeat Act was effective at preventing abortions in the Lone Star State.

In recent years, Texas has been a leader in policy efforts to protect preborn children. A parental-involvement law took effect in 2000. In 2010, Texas excluded Planned Parenthood from the state family-planning program. Over 50 Texas cities, including Lubbock, have passed ordinances making them sanctuary cities for the unborn. Next week, Amarillo, can join their ranks and strengthen the pro-life protections that are in place in the Lone Star State.