Pro-Life Campaign Site Hacked, E-Mail Redirected to Pro-Abortion Group

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Nov. 14, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ — The campaign website for a pro-life group supporting the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Ordinance in Albuquerque, New Mexico has been hacked and e-mail meant to go to the pro-life PAC ABQ Voters For Late Term Abortion Ban has instead been redirected to the abortion-supporting group Respect ABQ Women, which is opposing the Ordinance.

The Pain Capable ordinance, which goes to a vote on November 19, is the first of its kind to be proposed at the municipal level and would ban abortions after 20 weeks within the Albuquerque city limits, where the largest late-term abortion clinic in the nation currently operates. The campaign has received national attention.

At first glance, there is nothing unusual about the e-mail address on the contact page at the pro-life websiteLateTermAbortionban.com. However, once the link is clicked, e-mail does not go to “abqvoters@gmail.com” as one would expect. Instead, e-mail is directed to “info@respectabqwomen.org,” the e-mail address for an opposing group, Respect ABQ Women, which supports abortion through all nine months of pregnancy and has connections to Pres. Barack Obama’s radical leftist political activism group Organizing for Action.

Tara Shaver, chairperson for the pro-life ABQ Voters For Late Term Abortion Ban PAC whose website was hacked, was shocked to learn that official campaign e-mail was landing in the inbox of the opposition and was concerned citizens who tried to contact them might be confused into voting the wrong way.

“It’s not just our e-mail that was hijacked. This act was meant to hijack the election and thwart the will of the people. We have reported this criminal behavior to the FBI as a cyber-crime,” said Shaver. “All we want is a fair up or down vote on an ordinance that has received overwhelming support from the community and will save thousands of lives. The people should be the ones to decide if they want to protect babies that are half way through pregnancy and older. It shouldn’t be up to some cowardly hackers who are trying to subvert the process.”

Operation Rescue published a video on Youtube.com documenting how the e-mail was redirected.

“Campaign dirty tricks like this are despicable. I hope the people of Albuquerque do not let these bullies and criminals win in their effort to derail a fair campaign. We urge voters to respond by resolving to turn out and vote for the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Ordinance on November 19,” said Cheryl Sullenger, Senior Policy Advisor for Operation Rescue. Sullenger will be in Albuquerque later in the week to lend support for the campaign.

Shaver also told Operation Rescue that she has heard anecdotal reports that students at the University of New Mexico have been approached by people opposing the ordinance who have illegally offered to pay students to vote against it. Shaver also reported this potential voter fraud to the FBI.