Santa Fe, NM – In an attempt to bully Senator Daniel Ivey-Soto (D-15–Bernalillo), the extremist group working to ban all abortions, ‘Protest ABQ’, this week mailed residents of Albuquerque’s near Northeast Heights postcards bearing graphic photos including a naked, dead woman. Community leaders expressed deep anger over the likelihood that young children in their homes could be exposed to and traumatized by the vile images on the postcards delivered to mailboxes.
“These aggressive tactics go too far. New Mexicans respect each other’s diverse and deeply held values. These images are violent and offensive for a reason: extremists want to scare families and stifle debate over women’s health decisions. We should all be outraged that extremists would mail their political hate-mail to homes where children are exposed to these graphic images,” said Congresswoman Michelle Lujan Grisham. (D-NM).
“Regardless of our personal opinions about abortion, our communities can agree that extreme graphic images have no place in our neighborhoods. We need to protect our children from these violent images,” said Lori Jameson, President of a neighborhood association in Sen. Ivey-Soto’s district. “Who would want their children to open the mailbox, pick up the mail and be exposed to these graphic and violent photos?”
“Speaking as a clinical counselor who works with children with trauma, these images are extreme and violent. They should not be put in the mailboxes of our communities where young children can view them,” said Dale Klein-Kennedy, a licensed professional clinical counselor in Albuquerque.
‘Protest ABQ’ is the extremist group behind the mailings. It is part of the same group that attempted to ban access to abortion later in pregnancy, even in tragic circumstances in the Albuquerque referendum in 2013. Voters of Albuquerque soundly defeated the ban to keep these extreme messages out of our communities, and keep decisions about abortion between a woman, her family, and her doctor.
‘Protest ABQ’ also frequently drives a truck around the city with large graphic billboards on its sides, which they also park in front of elementary schools. They invited another extremist group to protest the Albuquerque Holocaust Museum; they put graphic images into children’s Halloween trick-or-treat bags; harassed legislators, state officials and doctors at their homes while their families and young children were present.