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 Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2006 2:49 pm
As I was opening up my browser, I saw an article that stated that a Republican candidate is being accused of sending out letters to Hispanic Democrats, saying that if they vote, they could potentially be deported. I believe that it says that some of the Republican leaders are trying to convince him to drop out of the running, but he claims to have no knowledge of the aforementioned letters. He claims that one of his campaign staff was the sender, but other Republican leaders state otherwise.
Link
I put this up because what if something like this happend concerning abortion? I can not think of any sort of punitive act that could occur, but there is a small posibility. Some person may send out letters to men and women who are known to be pro-choice, telling or threatening them not to vote, and I would hope to have a course of action.
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Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2006 4:44 pm
Though surely the risk of harassment based on political leanings exists (there are stories of gyno doctors who were harassed at home, at the store, and at work because they were evil abortion doctors)... the threat is not nearly as life-altering and threatening as deportation.
Keep in mind, being an illegal immigrant (who shouldn't be voting in the first place... is something where deportation is legal and expected.
Being pro-choice is not illegal, and there are no direct consequences for it. Any threat against you would be an illegal act (ie I'll murder you if you vote). Any threat against a hispanic person who has reason to fear deportation would not be illegal because deportation is currently not illegal.
So while it could surely be such that pro-choicers are threatened... the threats against them are not nearly so valid, real, and legally enforcable as deportation to illegal immigrants.
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Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2006 6:18 pm
The wording of the letter was extremely problematic. According to the article, it said, "You are advised that if your residence in this country is illegal or you are an immigrant, voting in a federal election is a crime that could result in jail time." While that's technically correct from the perspective of the law, because once naturalized a person is no longer an "immigrant," the more every-day use of the term "immigrant" often includes people who have moved here and then naturalized. For instance, my friends parents moved here as adults and naturalized and I've heard others refer to them as "first generation immigrants."
I think that the wording of the letter was deliberately misleading.
But, I wouldn't really worry about it from the perspective of being pro-choice. Deliberately interfering with someone's right to vote is a federal crime.
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