UPDATE: This post has been updated to add a statement from Arkansans for Limited Government, the group behind the Arkansas Abortion Amendment.
Can you think of any innocent and well-intentioned reason for a conservative group to publish the names and home cities of paid signature collectors for the Arkansas Abortion Amendment? Yeah, me neither.
But that’s exactly what those self-proclaimed Christians over at the Arkansas Family Council have done. They published the list of 79 names and hometowns on their website Thursday.
Maybe Family Council President Jerry Cox shared home cities along with the canvassers’ names just in case people have it on their hearts to seek the canvassers out and share the gospel.
To be clear, the published list contained the information of paid canvassers only. Volunteer signature gatherers’ information is not public. Still, considering the murders, bombings, arson and harassment carried out by members of the pro-life movement over the years, though, it’s understandable that paid canvassers might worry. Spreading this information around accomplishes nothing besides potentially putting people in danger.
It’s true that the names of paid canvassers collecting signatures to put proposed amendments before voters are public record, legally fair game to share. But why would you? There’s no good reason. Only bad ones.
Here’s a statement shared Friday from Arkansans for Limited Government, the group behind the Arkansas Abortion Amendment.
The canvassers working tirelessly to collect petitions in support of the Arkansas Abortion Amendment are proud of the work they are doing to promote reproductive liberty in the state and to engage in direct democracy — they aren’t hiding. But when the Family Council releases lists of their names and whereabouts to their network of anti-choice protestors who vehemently, and sometimes violently, disagree with our work, it puts our team at great risk for harassment, stalking, and other dangers. The Family Council’s tactics are ugly, transparently menacing, and unworthy of Arkansas. We won’t be intimidated. Our courageous team of well-trained canvassers and volunteers expect to be out in full force from now until the July 5 deadline, when we will prove the Family Council is not only immoral but also grossly unrepresentative of the people of Arkansas.
