Things to know about efforts to block people from crossing state lines for abortion

[Eugene]

Earlier DU threads:
• Alabama can't prosecute people who help women leave the state for abortions, Justice Department says
• Federal judge puts Idaho's 'abortion trafficking' law on hold during lawsuit

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Source: Associated Press

Things to know about efforts to block people from crossing state lines for abortion

BY GEOFF MULVIHILL
Updated 4:49 PM EST, November 10, 2023

A federal judge and the U.S. Department of Justice this week said that states are going too far by trying to block people from helping others cross state lines for abortion.

A ruling in Idaho and the federal government taking sides in an Alabama lawsuit are far from the final word, but they could offer clues on whether an emerging area of abortion regulation may eventfully hold up in court.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, eliminating a nationwide right to abortion, most Republican-controlled states have implemented bans or tighter restrictions on abortion.

Meanwhile, most blue states have taken some action to protect access, as have red states where voters have had a direct say on the issue, including Ohio, where they enshrined abortion rights into the state constitution this week.

That’s set up a big policy contrast between the states — and has made travel for abortion a major issue.

-snip-

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/abortion-texas-idaho-alabama-state-lines-trafficking-d314933f3f7db93858561a0c6ad0b188

[enough]

1. Thank you Eugene

[niyad]

2. KNR with thanks for posting this important information.

[calimary]

3. How do they know some woman is crossing state line to get an abortion?

If it’s early enough, it can be hard to tell if the woman is even pregnant.

[Eugene]

4. The Texas abortion bounty law only requires suspicion, not evidence, as a basis to sue.

State prosecutors want to be able to demand
out-of-state medical records.

Then, of course, there is the nightmare scenario,
where a cop pulls a car over, sees a woman
in the car and asks, "You're out late tonight.
Where are you heading?" There's a video
for this, but I can't locate it now.

Then again, the absolute hardliners propose
vigilantes who observe travelers at airports,
bus stations and highways for "suspicious"
activity.

[calimary]

5. Boy they REALLY want to lock women away.

SHEESH! How long before a woman who simply wants to go run an errand will be forced to have a government-appointed escort to make sure ALL she wants is a quart of milk and some fresh veggies?

DAMMIT!!! The efforts to force time to roll back in women’s rights, privacy, and freedom are stampeding right ahead! Shall we all be fitted with milk maid outfits or housekeepers’ uniforms or some such ridiculous things?

Back to the “Woman as Property” days, it seems.

[Eugene]

6. And I forgot about technological means, including smartphone data.

A period tracking app vendor can share its data with law enforcement.
Poland already surveils women like this.

U.S. based state prosecutors have already used phone location data
and internet search histories to make "kidnapping" and "trafficking"
charges.

[calimary]

7. This makes me even more suspicious re: the intent AND extent

of the ability to dominate women. Period trackers, eh?

So that means we need more thinking and more options as to how those strategies can be defeated.