Shelby County Texas Becomes 11th County in America to Ban Abortion

On Wednesday, July 30, Shelby County became the eleventh county in the nation, and the ninth county in Texas, to pass an ordinance seeking to protect pregnant mothers and their unborn children from the tragedy of abortion. The ordinance, which covers the unincorporated area of Shelby County, was introduced by Judge Allison Harbison.

While abortion is outlawed in Texas from the moment of conception, the Shelby County Sanctuary County for the Unborn Ordinance addresses several loopholes in Texas’ pro-life laws.

The ordinance states, “[T]he Shelby County Commissioners’ Court finds that abortion-inducing drugs are being mailed into communities across Texas from unregulated abortion pill trafficking organizations outside of the State of Texas and that the taking of these drugs, which exist for the purpose of terminating the life of an unborn child, have also resulted in adverse events which have left some women seeking emergency medical care” and “abortion-traffickers are taking pregnant mothers across state lines to abortion facilities in Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, and other abortion access states and then are sent back to Texas where communities are forced to deal with the aftermath in their homes, schools, churches, and hospitals.”

No resident in Shelby County spoke against the passage of the life-saving measure. Prior to the vote, Center resident Clint Porterfield encouraged those in attendance to research what Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, was actually about. Porterfield shared, “Margaret Sanger is regarded as the founder and leader of the Birth Control Movement. I feel it is of upmost importance that everyone research Ms. Sanger and understand her true thoughts and motives for this activism. Your findings may help in understanding the true meaning of the Pro-Abortion Movement.”

SUPPORT LIFENEWS! If you want to help fight abortion, please donate to LifeNews.com!

When asked by County Commissioner Stevie Smith if he was comfortable with the Commissioners moving forward with adopting the measure, Shelby County Attorney John Price gave his blessing based on the content of the presentation and the documents which had been presented to the Commissioners’ Court. After about an hour of discussion, the measure was passed in a unanimous 4-0 vote by County Commissioners Roscoe McSwain, Shannon Metcalf, Stevie Smith, and Tom Bellmyer.

After the vote, Cummings, who now lives in Tenaha, shared, “July 30, 2025 will go down in history as the day Shelby County, Texas’ elected officials stood for life. We can all say we are conservative and pro-life, but it is time we show the world where we stand publicly! Where we choose to call home and do life together we stand for the unborn.” Cummings continued, “I’m a proud life-long citizen of Shelby County. I’m thankful the court was able to place this on the agenda and vote unanimously declaring Shelby a Sanctuary County for the Unborn!”

The Shelby County Sanctuary County for the Unborn Ordinance prohibits elective abortions and the aiding or abetting of elective abortions within the unincorporated area of Shelby County and prohibits the performing of an elective abortion and the aiding or abetting of an elective abortion on a resident of the unincorporated area of Shelby County “regardless of the location of the abortion, regardless of the law in the jurisdiction where the abortion occurred, and regardless of whether the person knew or should have known that the abortion was performed or induced on a resident of the unincorporated area of Shelby County.”

The ordinance also prohibits abortion-inducing drugs within the unincorporated area of Shelby County, prohibits Texas waste management companies from transporting and disposing of aborted fetal remains from any out-of-state abortion provider within the unincorporated area of Shelby County, prohibits criminal abortion organizations from operating within the unincorporated area of Shelby County, and prohibits abortion trafficking by making it unlawful “for any person to knowingly transport any individual for the purpose of providing or obtaining an elective abortion, regardless of where the elective abortion will occur” as long as such activity “begins, ends, or passes through the unincorporated area of Shelby County.”

As a result of the passage of the ordinance, it is now illegal for the sections of U.S. 59, U.S. Highway 84, U.S. Highway 96, State Highway 7, State Highway 87, State Highway 147, State Highway 11, and all sections of all other roads found in the unincorporated area of Shelby County to be used for the purpose of the abortion trafficking of a pregnant mother to abortion facilities outside the State of Texas.

The ordinance comes at a good time, as it will also cover Interstate 69 and Interstate 369 which are currently being constructed. Interstate 69 will connect Tenaha, Texas to the Louisiana state line and Interstate 369 will follow U.S. Highway 59 north to Interstate 30 and Interstate 49 in Texarkana, Texas.

The ordinance is enforced through the same private right of action found in the Texas Heartbeat Act and 67 other local ordinances throughout the State of Texas, which allows private citizens to file a lawsuit against those found in violation of the ordinance. It does not allow for a lawsuit against the mother of the unborn child, but only against those assisting in the killing of her child when they cross the unincorporated area of Shelby County.

The Shelby County Sanctuary County for the Unborn Ordinance also educates about the Thriving Texas Families Program and directs people to the Texas Pregnancy Care Network website and The Pregnancy Network website operated by Human Coalition for resources available to women experiencing unexpected pregnancies.

The ordinance states, “[T]he Shelby County Commissioners’ Court finds that in addition to the life-affirming services which are already being provided by organizations in Shelby County, the Thriving Texas Families program (also known as the Texas Alternatives to Abortion program) is in place, which promotes childbirth and provides support services to pregnant mothers and their families, adoptive parents, and parents whose lives have been affected by miscarriage or loss of a child, finding the services provided as a part of the Thriving Texas Families program to include: counseling, mentoring, educational information and resources including classes on pregnancy, parenting, adoption, life skills and employment preparedness; material assistance covering basic needs, such as car seats, clothing, diapers, and formula; care coordination help through referrals to government assistance programs and other social services programs; call center for information and appointment scheduling; and housing and support services through maternity homes, and finding that the program is available to any Texas resident who is: a pregnant woman; the biological father of an unborn child; the biological parent of a child who is 36 months of age or younger; an adoptive parent of an unborn child; an approved adoptive parent of an unborn child; a former participant who has experienced the loss of a child; a parent or legal guardian of a pregnant minor who is a program client; the parent, legal guardian, or adult caregiver of a child who is 36 months of age or younger; and a parent who experienced a miscarriage or loss of a child not more than 90 days before the parent begins participation in the services offered through the program. See Tex. Health and Safety Code § 54.004. More information about how one can benefit from these services in Shelby County made possible by the Thriving Texas Families Program can be found at the Texas Pregnancy Care Network website at www.texaspregnancy.org or The Pregnancy Network website operated by Human Coalition at www.thepregnancynetwork.clinic.”

With the unanimous passage, Shelby County (pop. 24,179) joined Joaquin (pop. 850) and Tenaha (pop. 1,160) as the third political subdivision in Shelby County to pass a Sanctuary for the Unborn Ordinance. The three remaining incorporated cities of Shelby County that are not covered by the county ordinance and have yet to pass a pro-life ordinance outlawing abortion within the incorporated area of their city are: Center (pop. 5,401), Timpson (pop. 1,116), and Huxley (pop. 385).

Citizens wishing to see their county or city go as far as they can to prohibit abortion within their jurisdiction are encouraged to sign the online petition on the Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn website.

LifeNews Note: Mark Lee Dickson lives in Texas and is the founder of the Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn Initiative.

The post Shelby County Texas Becomes 11th County in America to Ban Abortion appeared first on LifeNews.com.