I think that's kind of an absurd comparison because a slave would be made a slave simply because he exists not because of anything he had done. If you know the consequences of your actions before choose to act and you go ahead anyway then you have, in my mind, stated that you find those consequences to be acceptable. It is odd to me that Hammond would then complain about his prosecution like it was some kind of surprise.

Okay then, imagine the slave runs away, thus breaking the law, and the penalty is being captured, returned, and perhaps beaten or otherwise punished.

Also, I've seen a couple of people claim that Hammond seems surprised, but in the article it is very clear and explicit that he expected this to happen.