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An Australian woman was detained by a US border official who asked, 'Have you recently had an abortion?'

beefheart

beefheart

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Wow, unbelievable....

news.yahoo.com

An Australian woman was detained by a US border official who asked if she'd recently had an abortion

Madolline Gourley was trying to get to Canada when she was detained in the US and interrogated by a US border official.
news.yahoo.com news.yahoo.com

An Australian woman traveling through the US was detained and interrogated by a US border official about whether she had recently had an abortion.
The Guardian Australia reported that Madolline Gourley was traveling from Australia to Canada where she planned to house- and cat-sit in exchange for free accommodations. Gourley has a travel blog where she documents her cat-sitting excursions.
The 30-year-old told The Guardian she was treated like a criminal during her stop in Los Angeles on June 30, when border officials became suspicious about why she was traveling to Canada.
After being photographed, patted down, and interrogated twice, Gourley was asked whether she was pregnant. As she moved from one detention room to the next, she was asked again by an agent if she was pregnant. When she said she wasn't, she was asked whether she had had an abortion.
"I don't know if she had forgotten, or she wanted to work out if I was lying or something, " she told The Guardian Australia. "I said no, and she looked at me again and said, 'Have you recently had an abortion?'"
"I don't know the thought process behind that … I just thought, 'What's the relevance of that to my situation?'"
A spokesperson for US Customs and Border Protection told The Guardian the organization took "allegations of unprofessional behavior seriously."
"CBP has standard procedures for handling allegations of misconduct. If we confirm employee misconduct, we will take firm and appropriate action to correct the situation."
 
BirdinHand said:
I'm going to call "bullshit" that this happened in California. If she was traveling via TX or something, then I might believe it. But CA is set up as a safe harbor for abortions much the way that NJ now is.
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You speak as if California law enforcement are a bunch of anarchist hippies. CA cops have an authoritarian-righwing reputation as much as any.
 
BirdinHand said:
I'm going to call "bullshit" that this happened in California. If she was traveling via TX or something, then I might believe it. But CA is set up as a safe harbor for abortions much the way that NJ now is.
Click to expand...
A spokesperson for US Customs and Border Protection told The Guardian the organization took "allegations of unprofessional behavior seriously."
"CBP has standard procedures for handling allegations of misconduct. If we confirm employee misconduct, we will take firm and appropriate action to correct the situation."
 
This story makes no sense. There is no federal ban on abortion so no reason at all she would be “interrogated” about it by CBP.
 
Moon said:
This story makes no sense. There is no federal ban on abortion so no reason at all she would be “interrogated” about it by CBP.
Click to expand...

A lot of rightwing low-info nuts are misinformed about what the SCOTUS ruling meant. Women were being physically blocked from abortion clinics and told by anti-abortion protesters that abortion was illegal when it wasn't the case in most places.
 
Sounds like a made up revenge story because she was deported for violating the terms of the visa waiver program.
 
beefheart said:
A spokesperson for US Customs and Border Protection told The Guardian the organization took "allegations of unprofessional behavior seriously."
"CBP has standard procedures for handling allegations of misconduct. If we confirm employee misconduct, we will take firm and appropriate action to correct the situation."
Click to expand...
That isn't saying that it happened. That statement is saying that they will look into it.
 
Geoist said:
A lot of rightwing low-info nuts are misinformed about what the SCOTUS ruling meant. Women were being physically blocked from abortion clinics and told by anti-abortion protesters that abortion was illegal when it wasn't the case in most places.
Click to expand...
Women have been dealing with lunatics at abortion clinics for decades.
 
BirdinHand said:
I'm going to call "bullshit" that this happened in California. If she was traveling via TX or something, then I might believe it. But CA is set up as a safe harbor for abortions much the way that NJ now is.
Click to expand...
Practicing for when the republicans take congress and ban abortion completely.

Working on their scripts.
 
BirdinHand said:
Women have been dealing with lunatics at abortion clinics for decades.
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And we don't have lunatics in law enforcement? It's exactly the kind of job that attracts sociopaths who love to control others.

10 Professions That Attract the Most Sociopaths

Our notions of good and evil are as malleable and evolving as the society around us. Whereas once we used to burn opinionated women as witches, or assume seizures were a sure sign of demonic possessions — we now rely on scientific inquiry and…
www.mic.com www.mic.com
 
BirdinHand said:
That isn't saying that it happened. That statement is saying that they will look into it.
Click to expand...

And unless there is body camera footage, it will likely remain a 'he-said-she-said' story.
 
Geoist said:
And we don't have lunatics in law enforcement? It's exactly the kind of job that attracts sociopaths who love to control others.

10 Professions That Attract the Most Sociopaths

Our notions of good and evil are as malleable and evolving as the society around us. Whereas once we used to burn opinionated women as witches, or assume seizures were a sure sign of demonic possessions — we now rely on scientific inquiry and…
www.mic.com www.mic.com
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Border patrol agents are the biggest assholes around. It is rare when you encounter one that isn't a complete dick.
 
beefheart said:
They aren't saying that it didn't happen.
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Well, I would hope they'd investigate before making that statement.

I just don't believe her claim. I find it more likely that she's pissed that she got caught in a Visa violation and wants more clicks to her blog/vlog/social media. Could someone have asked her if she was pregnant? Sure. You'd treat a pregnant woman with different accommodations than a non-pregnant woman if she was being detained. Do I think she was questioned about abortion in CA? No.
 
As others have said, I am unsure I buy this story.

Texas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, or the like back and forth to Canada I might see it, but California is throwing me.
 
OrphanSlug said:
As others have said, I am unsure I buy this story.

Texas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, or the like back and forth to Canada I might see it, but California is throwing me.
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Again, why? Are California border patrol bleeding-heart liberals?
 
Geoist said:
Again, why? Are California border patrol bleeding-heart liberals?
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Not what I am getting at.

If you agree that the Supreme Court made this a State issue then that rules out California being concerned about anyone flying anywhere for an abortion, but a "Border Official" or TSA Agent of some sort is Federal which also makes no sense for them to ask anyway.

Inside a solidly red southeastern State I can see someone working for the Federal Government overstepping their bounds with an ideology that aligns to those States. Still a stretch.

Regardless, I do not buy the story and this happening in California is a reason among many as to why.
 
OrphanSlug said:
Not what I am getting at.

If you agree that the Supreme Court made this a State issue then that rules out California being concerned about anyone flying anywhere for an abortion, but a "Border Official" or TSA Agent of some sort is Federal which also makes no sense for them to ask anyway.

Inside a solidly red southeastern State I can see someone working for the Federal Government overstepping their bounds with an ideology that aligns to those States. Still a stretch.

Regardless, I do not buy the story and this happening in California is a reason among many as to why.
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The California border patrol agent could, himself, be misinformed about the ruling or he could be just a dick hoping the woman doesn't understand the law. This story could be true or false, but I wouldn't dismiss simply because of the state it happened in.
 
Geoist said:
The California border patrol agent could, himself, be misinformed about the ruling or he could be just a dick hoping the woman doesn't understand the law. This story could be true or false, but I wouldn't dismiss simply because of the state it happened in.
Click to expand...

I clearly said a reason among many, if you are going to be dismissive of alternate opinion at least be accurate in what you are dismissing.
 
BirdinHand said:
I'm going to call "bullshit" that this happened in California. If she was traveling via TX or something, then I might believe it. But CA is set up as a safe harbor for abortions much the way that NJ now is.
Click to expand...
CBP isn't a state organization. The agents are not vetted by the state to determine if they will use local regulations in their enforcement... ✌️
 
Geoist said:
A lot of rightwing low-info nuts are misinformed about what the SCOTUS ruling meant. Women were being physically blocked from abortion clinics and told by anti-abortion protesters that abortion was illegal when it wasn't the case in most places.
Click to expand...
Seems a lot of leftwing low-info nuts think that the federal government is going to interrogate visitors to the US about whether or not they had an abortion recently. I’m guessing we’ll soon see an entry door n this woman’s blog about how she survived the ordeals of traveling through “Gilead” and she’ll be featured on Morning Joe.
 
Geoist said:
You speak as if California law enforcement are a bunch of anarchist hippies. CA cops have an authoritarian-righwing reputation as much as any.
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CA had nothing to do with this.
 
beefheart said:
They aren't saying that it didn't happen.
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I think they're saying nothing's going to happen. The "If WE confirm inappropriate conduct...." suggests a handwave, because the employee will deny a conversation that took place in a corridor.
 
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