New Mexico Town Delays Banning Abortion

The city commission of Clovis on Thursday put off a vote on an ordinance designed to ban abortions within the New Mexico town near the Texas border, fearing challenges to the move in a state where the procedure remains legal.

Clovis was set to become the first town to pass a so-called "sanctuary city for the unborn" ordinance in a state controlled by the Democratic Party, according to anti-abortion advocates, who say it is part of a national push into "blue" states.

Clovis does not have an abortion clinic, but could be a place that could serve people from Republican-controlled Texas, to the east. Texas was one of the first states to impose a near-total ban on abortion and providers can face up to life in prison there.