#criminalization

#criminalization

Based on how members of the Trump administration rushed to describe Renee Nicole Good, the Minneapolis woman who was shot and killed in her minivan while protesting ICE, as a "domestic terrorist," a "professional agitator," and an "anti-ICE rioter" behind the wheel of a "thousand-pound missile," here is how they might describe her dropping off her son at school just before she was killed.

On Tuesday, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill (R) laughably accused the California-based Dr. Remy Coeytaux of being a drug dealer after he allegedly mailed abortion pills into the state, charging him with "criminal abortion by means of abortion-inducing drugs." It's the second time the state's top anti-abortion tyrants have indicted an out-of-state doctor. "This is not healthcare; it's drug dealing," Murrill announced in a statement following the indictment.

The US House will vote on legislation criminalising gender-affirming care for trans young people later today (17 December) following approval from House leadership. HR 3492, dubbed the ' Protect Children's Innocence Act ', would make it a federal crime for medical professionals to prescribe puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and other kinds of gender-affirming healthcare to trans youth. If passed into law, medical professionals found guilty of providing care could face hefty fines and up to 10 years imprisonment.

Criminalization is the default framework people turn to in the United States to restore their sense of order, amid a crisis or emergency, so, when I hear someone suggest something wild, like calling the police on ICE, I understand where they're coming from. But as the Trump administration continues to consolidate power, we need to lose our illusions about the law as a moral instrument. We need more outlaws and less confusion about what the law protects and who it targets.