A new court ruling helps it stay that way The New Mexico Supreme Court on Thursday struck down abortion restrictions by conservative cities and counties at the request of the state attorney general.
Attorneys representing New Mexico’s Lea and Roosevelt counties and the cities of Hobbs and Clovis had argued in court that local abortion ordinances can’t be struck down under provisions within the “anti-vice” law known as the Comstock Act.
Writing for the majority opinion, Justice C. Shannon Bacon said that state law precludes cities and counties from restricting abortion or regulating abortion clinics.
Opposition to abortion runs deep in New Mexico communities along the border with Texas, which has one of the most restrictive bans in the U.S.
The ruling preserves access to abortion procedures across a state that has become a major destination for people from other states with bans.
