AMARILLO, Texas — Last year, the Amarillo City Council chose not to move forward with an ordinance to prohibit people from traveling through city limits to get an out-of-state abortion. The council rejected the latest travel ban proposal this past June. 

What You Need To Know

  • Amarillo residents in November will vote on an ordinance to would prohibit women from traveling through the city in order to obtain an abortion

  • Amarillo City Council voted down a petition to enact the ordinance last year. In June, it rejected the latest version of the proposed ordinance

  • Proponents say the ordinance could save the lives of unborn children

  • Opponents say it would create constitutional issues and would ultimately be decided in a courtroom

“I’m totally pro-life, but I’m not pro this ordinance because this ordinance has a lot of government overreach,” said Amarillo City Council member Tom Scherlen. 

However, per local rules, supporters of the measure can request residents vote on the issue in November.  

“This ordinance is able to do something to save those unborn children,” said Mark Lee Dickson, founder of the Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn Initiative. 

Anti-abortion advocates have been successful in having other cities across Texas adopt similar travel bans. Most recently, the issue was on the ballot in Abilene, San Angelo, Plainview and Athens.

“When abortion’s been on the ballot in Texas, pro-life has won,” said Dickson 

But Amarillo Mayor Cole Stanley is unsure of where his residents stand on banning such travel. 

“We’re not real sure if this will pass or not because you have such a red community that is pro-life, but you also have a petition that has brought something that goes beyond what normal ordinances have in the past,” said Stanley.

Nearly 35,000 Texans drove or flew out of state last year to get an abortion. A majority of those went to Kansas and New Mexico. There is also concern that if passed, this ordinance won’t deter people from leaving the state other ways to get an abortion.

“Neighbor sues neighbor, and nothing happens on this law unless the baby is dead already. So, what you’re doing, you’re putting a law into effect that does nothing to save the baby’s life,” said Scherlen. 

There’s also the question of the legality of such bans. Experts say there could be constitutional issues when limiting the ability to travel and expect a court to have the final say on such ordinances. 

“The question about legality here is always very complicated because ultimately what’s legal is what people decide is legal,” said Grace Howard, a San Jose State University associate professor of justice studies. 

The Amarillo City Council will take a procedural vote Tuesday to call the election formally and place the potential travel ban on the November ballot.

CORRECTION: This story has been updated to reflect that Amarillo City Council chose not to move forward with the abortion ordinance and to specify that the cities of in Abilene, San Angelo, Plainview and Athens have placed similar ordinances on their respective ballots. (June 10, 2024)