(C) Daily Montanan
This story was originally published by Daily Montanan and is unaltered.
 . . . . . . . . . .



When state lines become red lines – Daily Montanan [1]

['More From Author', 'July', 'Lorraine Collins']

Date: 2022-07-24  

When two fellows from Peru were visiting the U.S. on business some years ago, they told me they were surprised that they could travel from Texas to South Dakota, where I lived then, without ever having to “show any papers” as they crossed from one state to another.

I hadn’t thought of that phenomenon for a while, but I’m thinking about it now.

South Dakota has made all abortions illegal. But those who cross the state line to Montana for abortion care have been advised that that they can receive only a surgical abortion here now. The optional medical abortion requires two pills taken one or two days apart. If the woman takes one pill in Montana but takes the next pill a day or two later back home in South Dakota, that state might charge the Montana provider with a felony.

Really? This is such a complicated and/or ridiculous matter that the whole purpose of suggesting such a thing may merely be an attempt to intimidate or threaten abortion providers in states where it’s still legal. Since states outlawing abortions don’t want to be seen as arresting and imprisoning women, making them criminals, they want to make legal providers the criminals. Failing that, they’re trying to figure out how to prohibit women from leaving the state to get abortion services.

State lines will become red lines that they dare not cross.

It’s hard to imagine how a state could enforce a law denying women the freedom to travel within the United States, or what kind of “papers” they’d have to show to be allowed to do so. In fact, it’s hard to imagine that this country would still be the United States of America.

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://dailymontanan.com/2022/07/24/when-state-lines-become-red-lines/

Published and (C) by Daily Montanan
Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/montanan/