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Abortion in the USA
This is important, and I hope you'll consider it.
This is about the dangers -- to you, and the people you try to help -- of communicating online about abortion in coded ways, like talking about "camping trips" and so on.
Please remember that the people enforcing laws against abortion are religious zealots in positions of power, and they're going to treat this like murder.
Let's say you have a friend in state Foo where abortion is illegal. You live in state Bar where it is legal. Your friend, who was in your state recently for a business trip or a vacation, has had a miscarriage. A year ago, you posted something about state Bar being a great place to come for "camping" *wink wink*.
State Foo is going to subpoena your friend's phone records, Facebook history, and so on. Maybe your friend called you or visited while they were in state Bar. They'll find your post about "camping" from a year ago. Now your post could be used as evidence that your friend didn't just miscarry. Also, congratulations: you are now accessory to a murder.
Maybe a year from now, you visit state Foo. Maybe on a vacation, maybe to see a friend, it doesn't matter. Police run your plate. Maybe because you got a parking ticket, maybe because you were in front of one in traffic and they felt like checking the out-of-stater. You have an outstanding warrant from your friend's "abortion". You are going to jail. You may or may not have had the slightest thing to do with any of this. It may not even have been an abortion. Just bad timing.
An alternative ending: a year after your friend's miscarriage, state Bar comes under new leadership. The new governor signs off on extradition for criminals of your class. State Foo has you extradited for trial. You're going to jail.
Please, think about this. I'm a little bit insulated from all of this right now since I'm living in Canada. If you're in the US, you are probably not.
Think about how you'd behave if you were helping someone commit a murder. *Do that*, because according to these zealots, that's what you're doing.
If you think these are valid concerns, *please* copy and share and attribute to anonymous.
This is about the dangers -- to you, and the people you try to help -- of communicating online about abortion in coded ways, like talking about "camping trips" and so on.
Please remember that the people enforcing laws against abortion are religious zealots in positions of power, and they're going to treat this like murder.
Let's say you have a friend in state Foo where abortion is illegal. You live in state Bar where it is legal. Your friend, who was in your state recently for a business trip or a vacation, has had a miscarriage. A year ago, you posted something about state Bar being a great place to come for "camping" *wink wink*.
State Foo is going to subpoena your friend's phone records, Facebook history, and so on. Maybe your friend called you or visited while they were in state Bar. They'll find your post about "camping" from a year ago. Now your post could be used as evidence that your friend didn't just miscarry. Also, congratulations: you are now accessory to a murder.
Maybe a year from now, you visit state Foo. Maybe on a vacation, maybe to see a friend, it doesn't matter. Police run your plate. Maybe because you got a parking ticket, maybe because you were in front of one in traffic and they felt like checking the out-of-stater. You have an outstanding warrant from your friend's "abortion". You are going to jail. You may or may not have had the slightest thing to do with any of this. It may not even have been an abortion. Just bad timing.
An alternative ending: a year after your friend's miscarriage, state Bar comes under new leadership. The new governor signs off on extradition for criminals of your class. State Foo has you extradited for trial. You're going to jail.
Please, think about this. I'm a little bit insulated from all of this right now since I'm living in Canada. If you're in the US, you are probably not.
Think about how you'd behave if you were helping someone commit a murder. *Do that*, because according to these zealots, that's what you're doing.
If you think these are valid concerns, *please* copy and share and attribute to anonymous.