On Good Friday, the City Council of Lueders (pop. 346) passed an “Ordinance Outlawing Abortion, declaring Leuder’s a Sanctuary City for the Unborn” in a unanimous 5-0 vote. The vote made the city, located between the cities of Stamford (pop. 3,126) and Albany (pop. 2,043) on State Highway 6, the 56th city in Texas and the 73rd city in the nation to pass an ordinance prohibiting abortion.
Lueders is the third city in Jones County, the second city in Shackelford County, and the tenth city in the Hub of Texas – Abilene Region to pass a ‘Sanctuary City for the Unborn’ ordinance. Other cities in the region include: Abilene (pop. 129,043), San Angelo (pop. 101,612), Cisco (pop. 4,006), Eastland (pop. 3,970), Anson (pop. 2,347), Gorman (pop. 1,083), Moran (pop. 285), Carbon (pop. 255), and Impact (pop. 38).
After the vote, Jones County Republican Chair David D. Andrews shared,
There is still hope for humanity in our world when a sleepy little town in West Texas takes a stand on abortion. Congratulations to those civic leaders in Lueders, Texas, in Jones County for standing up and supporting the moral majority to designate the city as a Sanctuary City against the abortion of God’s precious children in the womb! God bless our nation and God bless Texas!
Shackelford County Republican Chair Rodney Casey also weighed in on the passage of the measure, stating,
Lueders, well known for their limestone shipped around the world and for their Big Country Baptist Assembly, which is one of the oldest Christian camps in the world, became the 73rd sanctuary city for the unborn in the nation! Congratulations to Lueders! Hallelujah!
The Lueders Sanctuary City for the Unborn Ordinance is enforced in the same manner as the Texas Heartbeat Act — through a private enforcement mechanism. The ordinance reads, “Any person, other than the city of Lueders, and any officer or employee of the city, has standing to bring and may bring a civil action against any person or entity that violates any provision” of this ordinance.
The six provisions of the Lueders Sanctuary City for the Unborn Ordinance: (1) prohibit performing an elective abortion and aiding or abetting elective abortions within the city limits of Lueders, (2) prohibit elective abortions on residents of Lueders – regardless of where the abortion takes place, (3) prohibit abortion trafficking through the city, (4) prohibit the mailing of abortion-inducing drugs into the city, (5) prohibit criminal organizations from doing business inside the city limits of Lueders, and (6) prohibit through or in the City of Lueders the transportation and disposal of the remains of unborn children who have been killed by an elective abortion across state lines and carried into Texas by waste management companies.
The ordinance, which has a six-year statute of limitations, is clear that “a civil action … may not be brought: against the woman upon whom the abortion was performed or induced or attempted to be performed or induced in violation of this ordinance, or against a pregnant woman who intends or seeks to abort her unborn child in violation of this ordinance.”
In addition to providing protections for pregnant mothers and their unborn children, the ordinance also educates about the Thriving Texas Families Program and directs people to the Texas Pregnancy Care Network website.
The two other cities in Jones County that have passed a Sanctuary City for the Unborn ordinance are the cities of Anson and Abilene. The Anson City Council adopted its ordinance on November 8, 2021 while the voters of the City of Abilene adopted its ordinance one year later on November 8, 2022. Other cities in Jones County which could consider the measure in the future include: Stamford (pop. 3,126), Hamlin (2,791), and Hawley (pop. 646).
The only other city in Shackelford County to have passed a Sanctuary City for the Unborn ordinance is the City of Moran, whose City Council adopted its ordinance on the night of Tuesday, April 15, 2025. The only other city in Shackelford County that could consider the measure in the future is the City of Albany (pop. 2,043).
The unincorporated area of Shackelford County is covered by a Sanctuary County for the Unborn ordinance adopted by the Shackelford County Judge and Commissioners on the morning of Tuesday, April 15, 2025. District Attorney Isaac Castro, who represents the 259th Judicial District that includes Jones and Shackelford counties, celebrated the county’s action, stating, “Proud of all the leaders of Shackelford County who continue to fight to protect the rights of the unborn! I stand with you to save the babies!”
On Thursday, a group of volunteers from across West Texas met up at the Big Country Baptist Assembly in Lueders to make baby blankets to give to pregnancy centers across Texas.
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