Texas cops search license plate cameras across US to find woman who had abortion

An officer from the Johnson County Sheriff's Office in Texas reportedly used a nationwide database to search for a woman who gave herself an abortion.

According to 404 Media, the officer conducted the search earlier this month using a database of license plate readers created by a company called Flock. The search included states where abortion was legal, like Washington and Illinois, the report said.

"We weren't trying to block her from leaving the state or whatever to get an abortion," Sheriff Adam King of the Johnson County Sheriff's Office told 404 Media. "It was about her safety."

King said the woman's family contacted authorities out of concern that she would "bleed to death."

"We were trying to find her to get her to a hospital," he insisted.

Privacy advocates, however, were concerned that the technology could be misused in a state like Texas, where nearly all abortions are illegal.

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"The idea that the police are actively tracking the location of women they believe have had self administered abortions under the guise of 'safety' does not make me feel any better about this kind of surveillance," Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) cybersecurity director Eva Galperin explained.

Elizabeth Ling of If/When/How, a reproductive rights group, told 404 Media that 26% of abortion prosecutions occurred after a family member or acquaintance reported a woman to law enforcement.

"Self-managed abortion is extremely safe," Ling said. "What we have found in our work and our research is that the greatest risk posed to people self-managing their abortion is state violence and criminalization."

"All of this shows why it is essential for people to have access to accurate information about their options and legal risk. Because no one should face criminalization for their abortion," she added.