83 elected prosecutors have pledged not to criminalize abortion.

[Nevilledog]

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Fair and Just Prosecution
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With the end of Roe, 83 elected prosecutors have pledged today to use their well-settled discretion and not criminalize those who seek or provide abortions. Read the statement and find out if your DA is on the list: https://bit.ly/3Ht5Unu
#WhereIsMyDA #RoevWade
Background is a grey and white watercolor American flag. Blue US map overlaid with text saying: With Roe overturned, 83 elected prosecutors have pledged not to criminalize abortion. #WhereIsMyDA.
7:48 AM · Jun 24, 2022

https://fairandjustprosecution.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/FJP-Post-Dobbs-Abortion-Joint-Statement-Press-Release.pdf


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MEDIA CONTACT
June 24, 2022 Miriam Krinsky
[e-mail]
818-416-5218

With Roe Overturned, 85 Elected Prosecutors Commit to Not Prosecute Abortions
DAs and AGs Publicly Pledge to Use Their Settled Discretion and Not Criminalize Personal Healthcare Decisions

In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision today to overturn Roe v. Wade, 85 elected prosecutors from around the nation committed to use their well-established discretion and refuse to prosecute those who seek, assist in or provide abortions, calling the criminalization of abortion care “a mockery of justice.” These elected prosecutors – collectively representing over 89 million people from 29 states and territories and the District of Columbia, including over 27 million from 12 states where abortion is now banned or likely to be banned – argue in a joint statement that using limited criminal justice resources to prosecute personal healthcare decisions runs counter to their obligation to pursue justice and promote public safety.

“Today’s Supreme Court decision is a jarring betrayal of generations of Americans who have come of age with the right to make decisions about their own bodies,” said Miriam Krinsky, Executive Director of Fair and Just Prosecution, the organizer of the statement. “By cruelly and callously stripping away a 50-year-old fundamental right, a majority of the Court has undermined the legitimacy of the criminal legal system and trust in the rule of law. With many states now seeking to criminalize those who seek, perform and receive abortion care, elected prosecutors are the last line of defense in protecting patients and providers from criminal charges. At this frightening and dark moment, we desperately need the bold leadership demonstrated by these signatories – and hope to see far more prosecutors across the country join this chorus.”

Now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned, abortion has been or will soon be banned in at least 26 states. Among the most draconian and dangerous statutes are Texas’ trigger law and an Alabama law under which those who perform an abortion could face life sentences in prison. A recent law in Oklahoma makes it a felony to provide abortions, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, with no exceptions for rape or incest. Bans in Missouri, Tennessee and Utah carry sentences of up to 15 years for providers of abortion care.

“As an elected prosecutor, I took an oath to protect all in my community in the pursuit of justice. Using limited resources to prosecute personal healthcare decisions would be a violation of that promise,” said Bexar County (San Antonio), Texas District Attorney Joe Gonzales. “Outlawing abortion will not end abortion; it will simply end safe abortions and prevent people from seeking the care and help they need for fear of criminal prosecution. I refuse to subject members of my community to that risk.”

The signatories make clear that they approach the issue of abortion from varied personal perspectives but come together in agreement that enforcing abortion bans is a threat to many in their communities: “As elected prosecutors, when we stand in court we have the privilege and obligation to represent the people. All members of our communities are our clients – they elected us to represent them and we are bound to fight for them as we carry out our obligation to pursue justice. Our legislatures may decide to criminalize personal healthcare decisions, but we remain obligated to prosecute only those cases that serve the interests of justice and the people.”
The statement also emphasizes how abortion bans disproportionately harm victims of sexual abuse, rape, incest, human trafficking and domestic violence, and that many anti-abortion laws either do not provide exceptions for victims of sexual violence or force survivors to choose between reporting their assault or carrying an unwanted pregnancy to term.

"Anti-abortion laws endanger the lives and health of marginalized individuals whose access to safe abortion procedures will be restricted the most,” said DeKalb County, Ga. District Attorney Sherry Boston, a signatory to the statement. “Our focus should be on violent offenders and crimes that truly impact public safety and quality of life for the communities we serve.”

“The voters that elected me Michigan’s Attorney General did so knowing I would never place women in the untenable position of having to choose between exercising their personal healthcare decisions and the threat of criminal prosecution,” said Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, another signatory to the statement. “I have never wavered in my stance on this issue, and I will not prosecute women or their medical providers for a personal medical decision.”

The signatories include Attorneys General Joshua R. Diamond (Vermont - Acting AG), Keith Ellison (Minnesota), Maura Healey (Massachusetts), Edward E. Manibusan (Northern Mariana Islands), Dana Nessel (Michigan), Karl Racine (District of Columbia) and Phil Weiser (Colorado), as well as elected prosecutors from states with trigger laws or laws banning abortion, such as Wesley Bell (St. Louis County, Mo.), Danny Carr (Jefferson County, Ala.), John T. Chisholm (Milwaukee County, Wis.), Shameca Collins (6th Judicial District, Miss.), John Creuzot (Dallas County, Texas), Glenn Funk (Nashville, Tenn.), José Garza (Travis County, Texas), Joe Gonzales (Bexar County, Texas), Mark Gonzalez (Nueces County, Texas), David Leyton (Genesee County, Mich.), Karen McDonald (Oakland County, Mich.), Brian Middleton (Fort Bend County, Texas), Jody Owens (Hinds County, Miss.), Eli Savit (Washtenaw County, Mich.), Daniella Shorter (22nd Judicial District, Miss.), Carol Siemon (Ingham County, Mich.), Matthew J. Wiese (Marquette County, Mich.) and Jason Williams (Orleans Parish, La.).

The full statement is available here and see below for a full list of signatories.


https://fairandjustprosecution.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/FJP-Post-Dobbs-Abortion-Joint-Statement.pdf

[NJCher]

1. Posted yesterday

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100216846842

[Nevilledog]

2. I didn't see it.

The things we post are often reposted.... We have a large amount of people on this board from different timezones and different patterns of usage. I don't think it's a bad thing to make sure important information is shared.

[NJCher]

3. I've double posted a few times

You would not believe the grief I got.

I think it’s a cardinal sin, worthy of the gallows.

[Nevilledog]

4. I also figure different people notice different posters. Who know who has you on ignore?

If I see I've made a dupe close in time, and my post has little engagement, I'll delete. However, if someone posts a dupe after I've posted, I don't delete.

[NJCher]

5. I'm not asking you to delete it.

I’m just telling you how some others have been treated for double posting.

Anyway, I like this topic and wish more people would note how important this development is.

I think the prosecutors are showing colossal disrespect for the SC’s judgment, which is well deserved.

It would be a strategy if every woman who supports reproductive rights and who works in the criminal justice system refused to play along with this charade. I’m not saying it’s a good idea—I’m just saying it’s a strategy. Imagine the impact on the system.

The prosecutors are in a powerful position, though, and not every woman has that luxury.

In those cases, the woman criminal justice employee who wants to throw a wrench in the system could then accidentally lose a file. Make some sort of mistake that renders any prosecution of a woman for a reproductive rights offense undoable.

Kind of like what the cops do when they have the blue flu, only with making prosecution of such cases untenable.

[MustLoveBeagles]

6. K&R

[Cha]

7. Courageous & Honorable.💙

💙💛

[SheltieLover]

8. Excellent! 👏👏👏👏

Thx for sharing!

[Scrivener7]

9. This! This needs to be like Volstead. Everyone needs to violate and/or ignore these laws.

[lindysalsagal]

10. I must admit, I feel like we're not fighting this alone, anymore.

In the end, women will be supported.