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This November, the registered voters in one Texas city along the Texas-New Mexico border will be casting their ballots on whether or not to adopt an ordinance outlawing trafficking. The citywide vote follows the Seminole City Council’s failure to approve the measure on Monday, August 10th. The ordinance would have further protected pregnant mothers and their unborn children from the violence of abortion committed by out-of-state abortion facilities and aided and abetted by in-state abortion trafficking organizations.
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Seminole City Council’s consideration of the ordinance was the result of a successful citizen initiative petition allowed for by the Seminole City Charter. A total of 576 signatures from verified registered voters of the City of Seminole were needed for the citizen initiative to succeed. Of the 1,551 signatures submitted to the City of Seminole, the requirement was met and exceeded. Despite the community support and the in-depth educational resources provided to the council regarding the measure, Councilman Lloyd Glass moved “not to approve” the measure, with Councilman Landon Sims seconding the motion. Upon a full vote of the city council, Mayor Chet Clark, Mayor Pro-Tem Rey Saldana, and Councilmembers Lloyd Glass, Whitney Concotelli, Blair Tharp, Landon Sims, and Joe Stewart all voted against the pro-life ordinance.
Seminole is the county seat of Gaines County and is located about 30 minutes from the Texas–New Mexico border. Gaines County is an extremely conservative county where voters have a history of voting both Republican and Pro-Life. In the 2024 Presidential Election, 91.02% (5,840) voted for Republican Donald J. Trump while only 8.39% (538) voted for Democrat Kamala Harris. In the 2024 Senate Election, 89.52% (5,700) voted for Republican Ted Cruz while only 8.81% (561) voted for Democrat Colin Allred. The number of signatures of verified registered voters required for the petition (576) was greater than the number of registered voters who voted for Kamala Harris (538) and Colin Allred (561) in all of Gaines County.
So just how pro-life are Republicans in Gaines County?
During the 2018 Republican Party Primary, voters had the opportunity to vote on proposition #7. This proposition gave voters the chance to voice their opinion if they were “In Favor” or “Against” the following statement: “I believe abortion should be abolished in Texas.” In Gaines County, out of 1,967 votes, 75.90% (1,493) voted in favor of the pro-life proposition, while 24.09% (474) voted against the pro-life proposition. During the 2022 Republican Party Primary, voters could vote on proposition #5. This proposition gave voters the chance to voice their opinion if they were “In Favor” or “Against” the following statement: “Texas should enact a state constitutional amendment to defend the sanctity of innocent human life, created in the image of God, from fertilization until natural death.” In Gaines County, out of 2,114 votes, 91.34% (1,931) voted in favor of the pro-life proposition, while 8.66% (183) voted against the pro-life proposition. During the 2026 Republican Party Primary, voters could vote on two pro-life propositions. Proposition #4 stated, “Texas should require its public schools to teach that life begins at fertilization.” In Gaines County, out of 2,177 votes, 89.07% (1,939) voted in favor of the pro-life proposition, while 10.93% (238) voted against the pro-life proposition. Proposition #5 stated, “Texas should ban gender, sexuality, and reproductive clinics and services in K-12 schools.” Out of 2,176 votes, 91.45% (1,990) voted in favor of the pro-life proposition, while 8.55% (186) voted against the pro-life proposition.
How pro-life are the Democrats in Gaines County?
While Republican voter data in the county reveal Republicans to be overwhelmingly pro-life, Democrat voter data in the county reveal Democrats to be overwhelmingly pro-abortion. During the 2026 Democratic Party Primary, voters had the opportunity to vote on Proposition #3. This proposition gave voters the chance to voice their opinion “Yes” or “No” on the following statement: “Texans should have the right to make their own healthcare decisions, including reproductive rights.” Out of 182 votes, 95.60% (174) voted in favor of the pro-abortion proposition, while 4.39% (8) voted against the pro-abortion proposition.
The Republican Party of Texas 2026 Party Platform is robustly pro-life.
Several provisions in the Seminole SCFTU Ordinance align fully with the pro-life planks in the Republican Party of Texas 2026 Party Platform.
Plank #216(j),(l), and (m) reads, “Abortion is not healthcare; it is homicide. Until the abolition of abortion is achieved, we support laws that restrict and regulate abortion, including but not limited to . . . (j) Extending the private cause of action used in the Texas Heartbeat Act to all pro-life laws and policies in Texas . . . (l) Supporting the right of Texas municipalities to protect mothers and their preborn children in their communities by passing enforceable city ordinances that further ban abortions within their city limits, closing loopholes in state abortion laws . . . Prohibiting private entities from using funds, benefits, reimbursements, transportation, lodging, or organized logistical support to facilitate travel for the purpose of obtaining an elective abortion; and supporting appropriate civil enforcement mechanisms against organizations and individuals who knowingly assist in organized efforts to circumvent Texas laws protecting unborn children.” At the Republican Party of Texas 2026 State Convention in Houston, 97.41% of Republican delegates from across the state voted in support of this plank and its subplanks.
Plank #58, titled “Prohibit Abortion Trafficking Across State Lines” reads, “We support legislation to prohibit the use of any private or government funds, as well as the abortion trafficking of pregnant women across Texas state lines, by land, water, or air, for the purpose of procuring an elective abortion and for the provision of a private right of action against all persons and organizations who aid and abet in the harming of the woman, and the killing of her preborn child.” At the Republican Party of Texas 2026 Convention in Houston, 93.40% of Republican delegates from across the State of Texas voted in support of this plank.
Plank #156 reads, “We support legislation prohibiting and criminalizing the trafficking of the remains of preborn children killed by abortion facilities outside the State of Texas, picked up by Texas-based waste management companies, and brought back to Texas to be treated and regarded as trash to be disposed of in Texas landfills…” At the Republican Party of Texas 2026 Convention in Houston, 95.12% of Republican delegates from across the State of Texas voted in support of this plank.
Plank #157 titled, “Support for the Sanctity of Life,” reads, “The Republican Party of Texas supports programs that provide assistance to pregnant women and promote the sanctity of life.” At the Republican Party of Texas 2026 Convention in Houston, 96.36% of Republican delegates from across the State of Texas voted in support of this plank.
Despite Gaines County’s record as both a Republican and Pro-Life stronghold, and the clear position of the planks of the Republican Party of Texas 2026 Party Platform, the proposed Sanctuary City for the Unborn Ordinance in Seminole faces an uphill battle due to misinformation relating to the ordinance’s “private enforcement mechanism” and provisions prohibiting abortion trafficking.
The proposed Seminole SCFTU ordinance has the same private enforcement mechanism found in the Texas Heartbeat Act and over 100 city and county ordinances across the State of Texas. To better understand the private enforcement mechanism, consider the following articles:
1. Courthouse News: From a ‘sanctuary city for the unborn’ to a statewide abortion ban (09-10-2021)
2. The Wall Street Journal: The Texas Abortion Law Is Unconventional Because It Had to Be (09-12-2021)
3. The Heritage Foundation: Texas Heartbeat Act Has Saved Nearly 10,000 Babies from Abortion, New Study Estimates (07-19-2023)
4. Live Action: The far-reaching impact of a ‘private right of action’ to stop the killing of preborn humans (03-15-2025)
A total of 61 political subdivisions in Texas have passed local measures prohibiting abortion trafficking: 22 counties and 39 cities. To better understand abortion trafficking ordinances, consider the following articles:
1. KOAT Albuquerque: Texas county abortion ordinance impacting New Mexico (10-03-2023)
2. The New York Times: In Texas, Local Laws to Prevent Travel for Abortions Gain Momentum (10-24-2023)
3. The Guardian: Texas county becomes largest yet t
