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Toi Staff
Jeffrey Bernstein Ph.d
Tarik Cyril Amar
Gideon Levy
Belen Fernandez
Penny S. Tee
Muhannad Ayyash
John Nosta
Andrew Silow-Carroll
Sharona Margolin Halickman
Abortion Providers Have Faced Hundreds of Death Threats Since Roe’s Fall
Since Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022, abortion bans have spread widely across the South and Midwest. Abortion is totally or near-totally banned in 16 states, and these bans have forced the closure of 42 clinics in the U.S., according to The Guttmacher Institute.
For the clinics that have remained open, it hasn’t been a smooth ride, either. In 2023 alone, more than 170,000 abortion seekers were forced to travel out of state to access care. That is a dramatic influx in patients for abortion clinics in states where abortion remains legal. But it’s not just an increase in patients that clinics are forced to deal with in post-Roe America — they must also contend with the ongoing, and in some places, increasing acts of anti-abortion violence.
The National Abortion Federation (NAF) recently released statistics on abortion clinic disruption and violence for 2023 and 2024, and their findings are harrowing. In the two years since the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Supreme Court ruling, there were more than 750 cases of obstruction of a clinic, nearly 300 death threats or threats of harm, and more than 600 cases of trespassing. That’s a case of obstruction for most days since Roe was overturned. And that’s just the incidents accounted for in NAF’s report — the number of incidents of harassment and violence targeting abortion providers is likely higher due to unreported incidents.
The findings on violence against abortion clinics reveals a steady increase that should alarm anyone who supports abortion access. The number of incidents of assault and battery increased by 137 percent from 2021-2022, obstructions increased by 134 percent, and picketing increased by nearly 72 percent. From 2010 to 2019, NAF documented 15 cases of arson against abortion clinics. From 2020 to 2024, there have been 14 arson attacks — nearly the same number in less than half the time.
Now, with the same president back in office who appointed the three Supreme Court justices who promptly voted to overturn Roe v. Wade and an........
© Truthout
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