The Austin Chronicle is reporting that an audio tape of anti-choice activists in Texas conspire to stalk abortion providers, their staff and their patient by tracking their license plates on a spreadsheet.
Karen Garnett of the Catholic Pro-Life Committee of North Texas describes a "sophisticated spreadsheet" they house "licence plate" numbers on so as to identify patients, doctors and staff members.
GARNETT: We are committed to having private councilors and prayer partners in front of every abortion clinic during all hours that abortions are being performed. Part of that is so that we can track. Um -- we can track the number of women who chose life we can also track who works there, who is your abortionist. How do we know who has privileges? Well, the way you do that is, it's totally legal, you track license plates, right. So this way collect the license plates that are coming into any abortion facility. We have a very sophisticated spreadsheet where everybody keeps track. This way, you can track whether or not a client comes back. If they turned away, or if they come back ... this way you have license plates, you have car, make, model and description of the client. As far as staff members and abortionists, you can identify if you got a new abortionist.
(emphasis mine)
"... where everybody keeps track" What the heck?!?
As Karen Garnett continues, it sounds to me as though Garnett is admitting their goal is to line the sidewalks so as to scare and intimidate clients.
GARNETT: We're helping moms choose life and we've got the sidewalks lined with people. Abby tells us that the number of cancelled appointments, no-shows just because they don't want to drive in because they see our presence there, that's one impact.
(emphasis mine)
Shorter: "... just because ... we intimidate and scare them.
Is it legal?
Another anti-choice activist, Michael Demma, said they are trying to "identify" the abortion providers who work at the one, and only, remaining clinic in Fort Worth.
DEMMA: Whole Woman's is the one that is still operating. They have two abortionists. We've been able to identify one in there and we're still searching for the other.
"...
we're still searching for the other" How comforting (snark).
A third anti-choice activits, Abby Johnson, who in 2011 admitted she has had two abortions, states their goal is to keep "pressure" on abortion providers by searching through their tax records.
ABBY JOHNSON: These abortionists are feeling the pressure from the pro-life movement in Texas. I think they feel like they’re on the run. And that’s how we want to keep it. We want to keep pressure high on them and letting them know that they can move wherever they want, they can move down the road, they can move to Lubbock, but we're still going to be there outside their clinics, we're still going to be praying, we're still going to be side-walk counciling and we're still going to be exposing what's going on inside each facility.”
(emphasis mine)
Abby Johnson made her choice, twice, to abort yet works tirelessly to deny other women their legal right to choose a safe and legal abortion.
The Austin Chronicle reminds us:
As the reproductive rights group points out, abortion providers face threats and violence, including bombings, shootings, vandalism and harassment.
Since 1993, eight clinic workers, including four doctors and two clinic employees have been killed by anti-abortion violence in the United States. Since 1991, a recorded 17 murder attempts have taken place.
Honestly, I don't know if the tactics of tracking licence plates for the purpose identify them and follow them from place to place is even legal. I've posted the Texas Stalking Laws below the orange symbol in hopes that some brilliant DKos lawyers weigh in.
Texas stalking laws:
Tex. Penal Code § 42.072. Stalking. (2011)
(a) A person commits an offense if the person, on more than one occasion and pursuant to the same scheme or course of conduct that is directed specifically at another person, knowingly engages in conduct that:
(1) the actor knows or reasonably believes the other person will regard as threatening:
(A) bodily injury or death for the other person;
(B) bodily injury or death for a member of the other person's family or household or for an individual with whom the other person has a dating relationship; or
(C) that an offense will be committed against the other person's property;
(2) causes the other person, a member of the other person's family or household, or an individual with whom the other person has a dating relationship to be placed in fear of bodily injury or death or fear that an offense will be committed against the other person's property; and
(3) would cause a reasonable person to fear:
(A) bodily injury or death for himself or herself;
(B) bodily injury or death for a member of the person's family or household or for an individual with whom the person has a dating relationship; or
(C) that an offense will be committed against the person's property.
(b) An offense under this section is a felony of the third degree, except that the offense is a felony of the second degree if the actor has previously been convicted of an offense under this section or of an offense under any of the following laws that contains elements that are substantially similar to the elements of an offense under this section:
(1) the laws of another state;
(2) the laws of a federally recognized Indian tribe;
(3) the laws of a territory of the United States; or
(4) federal law.
(c) For purposes of this section, a trier of fact may find that different types of conduct described by Subsection (a), if engaged in on more than one occasion, constitute conduct that is engaged in pursuant to the same scheme or course of conduct.
(d) In this section, "dating relationship," "family," "household," and "member of a household" have the meanings assigned by Chapter 71, Family Code.
SECTION 2. Chapter 13, Code of Criminal Procedure, is amended by adding Article 13.36 to read as follows:
ART. 13.36. Stalking. The offense of stalking may be prosecuted in any county in which an element of the offense occurred.
SECTION 3. Chapter 38, Code of Criminal Procedure, is amended by adding Article 38.46 to read as follows:
ART. 38.46. Evidence in prosecutions for stalking.
(A) in a prosecution for stalking, each party may offer testimony as to all relevant facts and circumstances that would aid the trier of fact in determining whether the actor's conduct would cause a reasonable person to experience a fear described by section 42.072(A)(3)(A), (B), or (C), penal code, including the facts and circumstances surrounding any existing or previous relationship between the actor and the alleged victim, a member of the alleged victim's family or household, or an individual with whom the alleged victim has a dating relationship.
(B) This article does not permit the presentation of character evidence that would otherwise be inadmissible under the Texas rules of evidence or other applicable law.
SECTION 4. The change in law made by this Act applies only to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act. An offense committed before the effective date of this Act is covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed, and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For purposes of this section, an offense was committed before the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurred before that date.