| Dear Friend, When Governor Gavin Newsom declared California to be a sanctuary state for abortion, he promised that out-of-state reproductive care seekers would not be punished.(1) So why are 71 California police departments sending out-of-state license plate tracking data to states where abortion is illegal? Several of the states with which these police departments share data threaten years in prison for obtaining an abortion, and the data they’re getting can track them right to reproductive care clinics.(2) It’s an abhorrent practice that puts pregnant people in real danger, which is why Courage California is running social media ads in these police precincts to pressure them to stop. The data that these police departments -- among them several in Los Angeles, Orange, and San Joaquin counties -- are providing include where people live and seek medical care.(3) One of the states with which they’re sharing data is Idaho, which makes assisting a minor with an abortion punishable by up to five years in prison.(4) Texas has a bounty of $10,000 for reporting an abortion, Alabama punishes abortion providers with a life sentence, and several other states have prison terms as well.(5) California cannot be a “sanctuary state” if people seeking reproductive care here are not protected from prosecution. We need to do everything possible to protect reproductive rights in California, including ending this terrible practice of sending incriminating information to anti-abortion states. We want to run these ads until the police departments shut the information pipeline down. Will you donate? Thanks for your critical support. –Irene, along with Angela, Annie, Isidra, Jen, Lindsay, Mai, and Scottie (and the rest of the Courage team)
PS: Courage California is fighting for equity and justice across the state and country. Will you become a monthly donor and help sustain our work? Donations go to support all of Courage California's work for a more progressive California and country. Follow us now on Facebook or Twitter! Footnotes:  |
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