Tuesday night a U.S. District Judge dismissed a lawsuit against the city of Lubbock, Texas by Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), in which citizens voted to approve an ordinance that outlaws abortion within the city’s limits.
“Because plaintiffs fail to show, as they must, that they have Article III standing to sue the city, the Court dismisses the case for lack of jurisdiction,” the dismissal read. Hendrix dismissed the lawsuit “without prejudice,” which allows Planned Parenthood to file a lawsuit again in the future.
“LIFE WINS!” Mark Lee Dickson, director of Right to Life of East Texas and founder of the Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn, celebrated on Facebook. “We have said from the beginning that this ordinance is completely bulletproof from pre-enforcement lawsuits,” he added. “The Court’s ruling today is an emphatic vindication of that.”
The ordinance, which took effect Tuesday, June 1, was approved by the citizens of Lubbock on May 1, and states abortion is now illegal within the city’s limits. Lubbock is now the largest city in the United States to declare itself a “Sanctuary City for the Unborn,” the 26th in the nation to outlaw abortion.