Planned Parenthood has dropped its lawsuit against the city of Lubbock, Texas, over its voter-approved Sanctuary for the Unborn ordinance, which allows “the unborn child’s mother, father, grandparents, siblings and half-siblings” to sue the abortion industry over the loss of the child. As a result, it essentially bans abortion in Lubbock.

Passed by a vote of 62% to 38%, the Sanctuary City for the Unborn ordinance ruffled the feathers of Planned Parenthood, which sued after the May 1, 2021, vote. Initially, the judge threw out the case since the courts did not have jurisdiction to block its enforcement.

Planned Parenthood continued to pursue the case, until finally withdrawing its appeal on Jan. 20.

In his opinion, U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix stated: “Because the ability to remedy a plaintiff’s injury through a favorable decision is a prerequisite to a plaintiff’s standing to sue—an ability absent here—the court dismisses the case for lack of jurisdiction.”

So, even if the abortion business won the case, it would be a hollow victory.

The idea to create Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn was developed in 2019 in Waskom, Texas, which was the first city to pass an ordinance protecting babies and their mothers. Over 40 cities in the U.S. have followed suit, with most located in Texas.

The decision to pursue the ordinance in Lubbock in 2020 was timely—Planned Parenthood announced in 2021 that it would be returning to the city after closing up shop in 2013 due to increased state regulations. Generally, to avoid public backlash and halted construction, Planned Parenthood rarely announces a new facility location until it’s nearly ready to open.

In addition to the city ordinance, there’s also Texas’ unique heartbeat bill, which gives citizens the opportunity to sue abortionists on behalf of a preborn child in a civil court.

“The Texas Heartbeat Bill is enforced by citizens like you and me,” said Chelsey Youman, the Texas state director and national legislative advisor for the pro-life group Human Coalition. “Every single child that is aborted with a heartbeat, you could sue on behalf of that child. There’s a precedent for this, it’s called citizen attorney generals.”

This ordinance, in addition to the Texas Heartbeat Bill, has severely hampered Planned Parenthood’s legal options in the state. The abortion business’ decision to withdraw its case is a victory for pro-life groups and politicians, who are tirelessly devoted to protecting communities from the machinations of the abortion industry.

State Sen. Charles Perry, who helped spearhead the ordinance in Lubbock, celebrated this legal victory.

“With the Texas Heartbeat Act taking effect last September, and with Lubbock having outlawed abortion within city limits, the state of Texas is leading the way on protecting the unborn despite the continued existence of Roe v. Wade,” Perry said in a statement. “Texas and Lubbock have shown how states and cities can ban or restrict abortion while immunizing their laws from pre-enforcement judicial review. I encourage other cities in Texas and throughout the United States to adopt similar ordinances.”

Photo: Kristoffer Tripplaar/Alamy Stock Photo