A woman looks anxiously into her rearview mirror as a patrolman turns on her car’s lights and siren. She is less than a mile away from leaving Alabama to seek abortion services, but it is too late. The next thing she knew, she was given a pregnancy test and handcuffed.
The encounter is depicted in a candid new TV ad called “The Fugitive.” The ad was created by Campaign for Democracy, a political action committee founded by California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The report is scheduled to be released Monday in Alabama, where Republicans are pushing for prosecutions of women who travel to other countries for abortions. The state’s anti-abortion laws are among the strictest in the nation, outlawing abortions at all stages of pregnancy, with exceptions for rape and incest.
“Trump Republicans want to criminalize young Alabama women who travel for reproductive health care,” the ad’s narrator says.
The ad then shows the patrol officer approaching the vehicle, saying, “Miss, please step out of the vehicle,” and tapping the kit on the driver’s side door, then saying, “Please take a pregnancy test.” There is.
The ad will run for two weeks on broadcast and cable TV, as well as digital platforms such as YouTube, PAC said. The cost of the ad buy was not immediately available.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall (R) has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Justice and abortion aid agencies over whether the state has the authority to prosecute individuals and organizations that help women leave the state for abortions. They are in conflict with the providers.
Last month, Republicans introduced a bill in the Alabama House of Representatives that would make it a misdemeanor to harbor or transport minors seeking abortion services.
While Republicans are trying to cross the southern border in their messaging, Democrats are capitalizing on the issue of access to abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. This helped lead Democratic candidates to key victories in the 2022 midterm elections. And at last year’s race too.
In February, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are people with rights, casting a cloud of uncertainty on IVF. The state later passed a law granting criminal and civil immunity to IVF clinics, but it did not address whether embryos had legal human status.
In another shocking ruling this month, the Arizona Supreme Court upheld an 1864 law banning nearly all abortions. The decision could have far-reaching implications for women’s health care and election-year politics in the state, a key political battleground.
Newsom said in a social media post at the time that California, which borders Arizona, would provide shelter to women affected by the decision.
“When this strict anti-abortion law was passed, Arizona wasn’t even a state, it was a territory,” he said. “That’s how extreme this is. California stands ready to help Arizonans access reproductive health care.”
