In July Centerville, Texas became the 30th city in the state to pass an ordinance banning abortion, including chemical abortion, making it a crime for anyone to possess or distribute drugs intended for pregnancy termination. This chemical distinction is important for a small politically conservative town where such an ordinance arguably makes no material impact being that there is not a significant market for abortion. However, the impact of such an ordinance becomes much more tangible as mail order, tele-med, in-home, and chemical abortion fast becomes the norm. A month earlier on June 1, the larger city of Lubbock instituted a similar ordinance with more immediate ramifications to the abortion industry, as abortion giant Planned Parenthood was forced to stop, saying they will resume when “legally permissible.”
Is Texas reminding Americans that national politics don’t have to dictate local policies?