(ConservativeSense.com) – California Governor Gavin Newsom is under fire for sharing an ad on Twitter suggesting Alabama police are pulling women over and demanding pregnancy tests. The ad shows two young women driving toward the state line, pursued by Alabama police. The officer subsequently orders one of the women to take a pregnancy test, and the ad ends with an image of the woman being handcuffed over the hood of her car.
Newsom posted the ad with a caption saying Alabama allows no exceptions for rape or incest, and its lawmakers are “criminalizing young women’s travel to receive abortion care.” Responses on Twitter almost universally condemned Mr. Newsom for posting the clip, with many people stating that police do not demand pregnancy tests in Alabama or any other state.
Some commentators say the ad is entirely misleading as it features adult women, whereas legislative attempts in some states, including Alabama, aim to prevent minors from crossing state lines for abortion without parental consent.
The debate erupted in the Yellowhammer State last year when state Attorney General Steve Marshall said he had the right to prosecute those who provide transport for women seeking abortions in other states under conspiracy laws. The Yellowhammer Fund, an organization that supports pregnant women pursuing termination, filed a lawsuit against Marshall, saying he was attempting to violate the Constitutional right to travel freely and had no legal authority to regulate abortion provisions in other states.
Three months after Mr. Marshall made his remarks, the US Justice Department responded, saying he could not use conspiracy legislation to control out-of-state abortion access. The Justice Department agreed with the Yellowhammer Fund and stated that such prosecutions are unconstitutional.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland subsequently issued a statement saying “bedrock constitutional principles” protect the rights of American citizens to travel from one state to another without impediment.
Alabama is one of several states to prohibit abortion without exception for rape or incest, including Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Missouri.
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