Amarillo voters reject abortion travel ban, a rare rebuke of anti-abortion movement in Texas [Video]

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LUBBOCK — Amarillo voters on Tuesday resoundingly rejected a proposal that would have effectively made it illegal to use local streets and highways to obtain an out-of-state abortion — a stunning rebuke in a deeply conservative portion of the state for anti-abortion advocates that first proposed the idea.

The proposal, known as Proposition A, lost by about 20 percentage points Tuesday night, according to unofficial votes.

Amarillo became the first Texas city to reject an anti-abortion ordinance placed on a citywide ballot.

The vote shuts the door on the yearlong debate in Amarillo, which began when city leaders hesitated to pass the ordinance after several conservative cities and counties passedsimilar laws. The issue upended the Panhandle capital, home to more than 203,000 people. Residents waited hours to voice their opinions on the ordinance …