Planned Parenthood Lawsuit Against Lubbock Dismissed By Court

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Planned Parenthood in Lubbock will still no longer be able to provide abortion services in Lubbock after a District Judge dismissed Planned Parenthood's lawsuit "without prejudice," which means Planned Parenthood can file a lawsuit again in the future.

U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix dismissed the lawsuit from Planned Parenthood against the City of Lubbock late Tuesday. Judge Hendrix dismissed the case due to a lack of jurisdiction, according to a report from KAMC:

“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 said.

According to court records, the dismissal was issued at 9:40 p.m.

This doesn't mean that there won't be future court cases against the ordinance, or even against Planned Parenthood. The enforcement of the pro-life ordinance is not up to Lubbock police, but instead relies on citizens to file lawsuits if abortions take place when the practice is banned.

The Sanctuary City for the Unborn ordinance that Lubbock citizens overwhelmingly approved in May went into effect on Tuesday, June 1st, 2021. The ordinance called for abortions in Lubbock to be banned. That means the Lubbock Planned Parenthood location must stop providing abortions in the city.

The Texas Attorney General's office this week weighed in on Lubbock's ordinance and, according to Texas Solicitor General Judd Stone, the ordinance is not against state law. In his letter, Stone wrote that state law is "clear enough" for the court to reject Planned Parenthood's claims.