Lawsuit seeks to block Lubbock’s ordinance aimed at outlawing abortions
The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas and Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas are suing over the West Texas city’s “sanctuary city for the unborn” ordinance. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/1c702948c9f51802dcb7377af51fb523/Lubbock%20May%20Election%20Day%20JR%20TT%2006.jpg)
Shannon Najmabadi
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/profiles/Shannon_Najmabadi.jpg)
Shannon Najmabadi was a reporter at the Tribune from 2017 to 2021, most recently covering women's health. Her stories — on higher education and other topics — have prompted lawmakers to change three state laws, including one involving a very narrow definition of the word “pickle.” She is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and Columbia University.
Past Contributions
-
![Kids hold signs supporting Proposition A at the corner of Indiana and 82nd Street in Lubbock on May 1, 2021.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
Bill that would ban abortion at six weeks heads to governor's desk to become Texas law
Gov. Greg Abbott has said he intends to sign the bill. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/8216ec909b8ada05ff0cc929dacfd1b3/Womens%20Health%20Clinic%20%20SS%20TT%2009.jpg)
![One of the six exam rooms at Haven Health Clinics in downtown Amarillo on Dec. 9, 2013. The clinic provides services for women and some men in the 26 county region of the Texas panhandle.]()
Credit: Stephen Spillman for The Texas Tribune -
Fetal “heartbeat” bill, which could ban abortions at six weeks, nears passage in the Legislature
Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, has signaled that he is looking forward to signing the bill. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/e141c09ca44a9cf3e64b450d5f291ae0/House%20Floor%20Abortion%20Bill%20MG%20TT%2008.jpg)
![A visitor of the House gallery listens to legislators speak during a debate on an abortion bill being considered on the House floor on May 5, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Lubbock votes to become the state’s largest “sanctuary city for the unborn”
The outcome could prompt a lawsuit over what opponents say is an unconstitutional ban on abortion. The vote comes less than a year after Planned Parenthood opened a clinic in the West Texas city. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/0d7cfd13baf674e809b0988c9a2165ad/Lubbock%20May%20Election%20Day%20JR%20TT%2007.jpg)
![Sara Mistrot campaigns for Proposition A with her kids at the corner of Indiana and 82nd Street on May 1, 2021, in Lubbock.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
Lubbock voters will decide Saturday if the West Texas city will become the largest “sanctuary city for the unborn”
While proponents of the proposed ordinance view abortion as an “inconceivably wicked action,” detractors say it would be immediately challenged in court and that battles over abortion access are best fought at the state and federal levels. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/9c4298085968adec58ecd6098140c23a/Lubbock%20Abortion%20Vote%20JR%20TT%2007.jpg)
![A banner supporting a proposed city ordinance that would ban abortions inside Lubbock city limits hangs from Southcrest Baptist Church on April 27, 2021, in Lubbock. The ordinance goes to a public vote on the May 1 election.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
Feds rescind health care funding agreement that would have paid for care for uninsured, poor Texans after 2022
The Washington Post, citing two federal health officials, said the decision was a bid to push Texas toward expanding Medicaid. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/e13edb6592a95dceeed25a995575e103/Doctors%20Office%20Clinic%20Medical%20001.jpg)
![Dr. Spencer R. Berthelsen, M.D., Chairman, Board of Directors at Kelsey-Seybold, who still sees patients two days a week, visits with patient Francisco Garcia (also a doctor at Kelsey Seybold) before his annual physical at their clinic in Sugar Land. Sept. 22, 2011.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
House committee advances anti-abortion bills, including ones aimed at outlawing the procedure in Texas
The bills now head to the full House for debate. Versions already passed by the Senate are also pending. Each measure will need to be approved by both chambers before becoming law. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/bba6c3b4e6996d78e0dc3e671f2c0d48/Planned%20Parenthood%20EG%20TT%2016.jpg)
![Information and diagrams inside a medical room at a Planned Parenthood in south Austin on Jan. 14, 2020.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Republican state House speaker backs expanding Medicaid to cover mothers for a year after they give birth
The number of reported maternal deaths has increased nationwide in recent decades. Health experts and advocates say giving low-income moms Medicaid coverage for a year after delivery, rather than two months, could save lives. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/558bb8d2ebc4fc1b339f4b6aa6c00b6a/Womens%20Health%20Clinic%20CR%20TT%2001.jpg)
![Patients wait to be seen at the People's Community Clinic in Austin, which provides state-subsidized women's health services to low-income women on July 15, 2020.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
Bills restricting abortion, including one that bans procedure as early as six weeks, gets Texas Senate OK
The slate of bills must still go to the House for approval. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/060aa40ba7e1d64c063fc39545b31547/Womens%20Health%20SS%20TT%2001.jpg)
![A women’s health clinic in Texas.]()
Credit: Stephen Spillman for The Texas Tribune -
Widows of the pandemic: Three South Texas women lost their husbands but found solace in one another
Ricardo Ramos, Ramon Fuentes III and Andres Arguelles were all 45. Loving husbands. Strangers who died with the coronavirus in neighboring South Texas cities. They left behind young widows who found each other in Facebook groups and bonded over the similarities in their stories. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/72296cbf53e4ec7e82cea1c7cc906141/COVID%20Widows%20Group%20JG%20TT%2007.jpg)
![From Left, Delia Ramos, Betty Fuentes, and Ana Flores embrace in prayer in Harlingen on March 11, 2021.]()
Credit: Jason Garza for The Texas Tribune