Lubbock voters on Saturday backed a "sanctuary city for the unborn" ordinance that tries to outlaw abortions in the city's limits, likely prompting a lawsuit over what opponents say is an unconstitutional ban on the procedure.

Voters approved the measure on Saturday, with supporters comprising 62% of the unofficial tally. Another attempt to pass the proposition last year was unsuccessful when the city council rejected it because of fear of a lawsuit, the AP reported. 

The city’s measure declares performing or aiding in an abortion unlawful, but will not be enforced by the government until the Supreme Court overturns its 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide, Roe v. Wade, as well as the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey ruling which built upon Roe.

The passage of the ordinance makes Lubbock one of some two dozen cities that have declared themselves a "sanctuary ... for the unborn" and tried to prohibit abortions from being performed locally. But none of the cities in the movement - which started in the East Texas town of Waskom in 2019 - has been as big as Lubbock and none of them have been home to an abortion provider.

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