Stop & Think.

With abortion and trans healthcare, Republicans are trying to go after citizens of their home state for getting medical care that is illegal in their state, but completely legal where it was performed! How is that legal?

Does that mean if you go to another state to gamble in a casino, your home state can arrest you for gambling? I think not. Does that mean if you go to another state to smoke pot, they can arrest you when you come back—even if you didn't bring any weed back and just smoked it there?

Now stop and think: why do Republicans think it's okay to do this for abortions and trans healthcare?

Here is what they claim: it's a conspiracy because you planned the abortion while still inside their state, where it is illegal. But by that logic, if a senior citizens' group plans a bus trip from a state where gambling is illegal to a state with legal casinos, are they committing a conspiracy, too? Can you imagine if Utah arrested senior citizens for a trip to Las Vegas?

AG: state can prosecute those who help women travel for abortions

Alabama Daily News

AP 

September 3, 2023

Alabama’s attorney general argued in a court filing that the state has the authority to bring conspiracy charges against groups who help women travel to another state for an abortion.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall’s office made the assertion in a Monday motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by an abortion assistance fund and others arguing such prosecutions would be unconstitutional. The groups are seeking a legal ruling clarifying that Alabama can’t prosecute people for providing financial, appointment or travel assistance for an Alabama woman to obtain an abortion in another state.

Alabama bans abortion at any stage of pregnancy. Marshall argued while it’s legal for a woman to travel out of state for an abortion, he suggested groups that help her do so could face prosecution.

You see how they are twisting the law. The person receiving the abortion or trans healthcare isn't directly arrested, but everyone who helped them can be prosecuted for aiding and abetting a felony. That is even more sinister—parents could be arrested just for seeking healthcare for their children.

That is why shield laws, like Connecticut’s, are so important. But you can also see the dangers with Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs). In Connecticut, data from these license plate readers could be used to track us. Even though Connecticut law requires a court order to dig through that data, there have been numerous reports that the private companies managing the system have given information to ICE and CBP without a court order.

The U.S. Constitution should offer protection through the Interstate Commerce Clause, the Full Faith and Credit Clause, and the Privileges and Immunities Clause.

Then, of course, if the courts step in and ban states from prosecuting people who travel out of state for healthcare, Republicans will just blame it on an "activist" court. For conservatives, it's a win-win situation.