# Enforcing Leaving the State for an Abortion, Other Post-Roe Abortion Questions **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Tags:** roe\_vs\_wade\_abortion\ **Created:** [May 6, 2022, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enforcing-leaving-the-state-for-an-abortion-other-post-roe-abortion-questions/964068 "2022-05-06T13:30:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enforcing-leaving-the-state-for-an-abortion-other-post-roe-abortion-questions/964068/81 "2023-11-17T17:06:34Z")
Yes, but that’s different than the abortion bans. The abortion bans involve State A making it a crime for a resident to have an abortion in State B without anything happening in State A. That would be like State A convicting someone of rape for having sex in State B, where it was legal. I’m not saying that some state wouldn’t try to bring it up- but it’s very different. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enforcing-leaving-the-state-for-an-abortion-other-post-roe-abortion-questions/964068/82 "2023-11-17T17:13:57Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > Yes, but that’s different than the abortion bans. I was responding specifically to Whack-a-Mole’s comment of Full Faith and Credit statement and saying that is not an absolute. **My** assertion was > [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Doesn’t Federal Law make some things a crime to travel to a foreign county to do something legal there that is illegal in the US? And can that set a precedence for state sovereignty over its residents? ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enforcing-leaving-the-state-for-an-abortion-other-post-roe-abortion-questions/964068/83 "2023-11-17T21:06:31Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > Lots of people aren’t going to cover their tracks well enough to avoid it being obvious what they did. They’ll Google the clinic, they’ll use their phone to navigate to it, they’ll write a check, they’ll text a friend, etc. All of that information will be held by companies that have a business presence in Texas and are subject to the Texas court’s jurisdiction. Some people will know how this works and how to do things in a more secretive manner, there will be guides spread on how to get an abortion without leaving any footprints, etc., but some women will be easily caught anyways. This won’t happen to most women, but _once they have a reason to look_ it will be easily found in many cases. It always amazing me when there a (usually domestic) high-profile murder case & the evidence shows that the spouse/suspect, _while logged in_ googles things like, “How to dispose of a body” or “What saw to cut human bones” or “how long until a dead body begins to smell”. Log out, use private browsing, clear your history. There should be a ‘moron’ enhancement at sentencing time for those idjits! . Just go back to the early 2000s . That communication device in your pocket was used primarily to make phone calls & _talk_ to someone on the other end. Unlike with texts, there will be a call log history that I called you but no details of what we talked about. Cyber Monday became a thing because everyone had really slow dial-up at home but those fancy-schmancy, fast T1 lines at work. It was a lot faster for you to do your shopping at work, even if you were wasting bossman’s time. Or when HS kids still went to the library to do their research, again because it was faster than your home AOL dialup - Searching for that out-of-state clinic on the local library’s computer won’t show up in your browsing history when they search your phone. It ain’t rocket surgery if you stop to take a minute & think about it. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enforcing-leaving-the-state-for-an-abortion-other-post-roe-abortion-questions/964068/84 "2023-11-17T23:43:29Z")
> [@Crane](#): > > …maybe they’ll just have pregnancy sniffing dogs. Worst Pet Ever. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enforcing-leaving-the-state-for-an-abortion-other-post-roe-abortion-questions/964068/85 "2023-11-17T23:44:18Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > there have been cases of child rape convictions when a couple gets legally married in one state but move to another state where the girl is too young to get married. Can you link to some proof of this? ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enforcing-leaving-the-state-for-an-abortion-other-post-roe-abortion-questions/964068/86 "2023-11-19T02:52:30Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Doesn’t Federal Law make some things a crime to travel to a foreign county to do something legal there that is illegal in the US? You would have to have a complainant with due standing to bring charges. That is a pretty high bar. Realistically, if you go to another country and engage in terroristical activities that threaten to harm Americans or countries that are close allies, prosecution would be likely upon your return. Most other situations are pretty hard to prosecute. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enforcing-leaving-the-state-for-an-abortion-other-post-roe-abortion-questions/964068/87 "2023-11-19T05:45:20Z")
I thought people get charged with sex tourism all of the time. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2023, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enforcing-leaving-the-state-for-an-abortion-other-post-roe-abortion-questions/964068/88 "2023-11-20T05:41:54Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > I thought people get charged with sex tourism all of the time. Yes, but [that’s a US law for US citizens and residents.](https://www.justice.gov/criminal/criminal-ceos/extraterritorial-sexual-exploitation-children) > [@](#): > > Federal law prohibits an American citizen or resident to travel to a foreign country with intent to engage in any form of sexual conduct with a minor (defined as persons under 18 years of age). It is also illegal to help organize or assist another person to travel for these purposes. AIUI, when you cross state lines within the US and have sexual relations, the federal age of consent (18 years) also applies. It doesn’t matter if your under-18 sex partner is over the state age of consent in both your state and their state: if you traveled interstate to your encounter, the feds’ rules take precedence. But there isn’t a federal ban on abortion (at present), or on gambling, so they don’t automatically become federal crimes if you cross state lines to do them. And yeah, that being the case I do not see how Texas or any other state can appeal to federal extraterritorial sexual exploitation prohibitions (i.e., traveling interstate or internationally to bonk a minor is verboten) as a precedent for its attempted “state sovereignty” restrictions on state residents traveling to obtain an abortion. But then, IANAL so don’t take my word for it. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2023, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enforcing-leaving-the-state-for-an-abortion-other-post-roe-abortion-questions/964068/89 "2023-11-20T14:18:08Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Yes, but [that’s a US law for US citizens and residents.](https://www.justice.gov/criminal/criminal-ceos/extraterritorial-sexual-exploitation-children) Why the “but”. That’s what I said originally. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enforcing-leaving-the-state-for-an-abortion-other-post-roe-abortion-questions/964068.md?page=4)