Morning Briefing: Violence Against Abortion Providers on the Rise Following Roe Reversal
There has been 'increases in major incidents like arsons, burglaries, death threats, and invasions' against abortion providers, according to a new report from the National Abortion Federation (NAF).
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Morning Briefing: During the year in which the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, abortion providers reported “increases in major incidents like arsons, burglaries, death threats, and invasions overall; a sharp increase in violence and disruption in states that are protective of abortion rights,” according to a new report by the National Abortion Federation (NAF).
Melissa Fowler, chief program officer at NAF, said in a press release that the “data is proof of what we have known to be true,” that the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe has emboldened anti-abortion extremists.
“As clinics closed in states with bans, extremists have simply shifted their focus to protective states, where our members have reported major increases in assaults, stalking, and burglaries,” said Fowler.
During 2022, abortion providers reported receiving 218 death threats or threats of harm “through phone calls, text messages, online posts, flyers, and in the mail,” which represents a 20% increase compared to 2021. There were also 92 incidents of stalking, which represents a 229% increase compared to 2021. Additionally, there were 43 incidents of burglary, which represents a 231% increase compared to 2021.
The report also found that “anti-abortion individuals and groups begin to use encrypted communication tools and services like Signal, Telegram, Discord, and Session,” which mirrors the ways in which other elements of the far right have adopted these types of communications tools.
NAF has created an interactive map in which “providers and clinic staff from restrictive states and protective states alike tell their stories of coming face-to-face with violence, disruption, and intimidation–all while trying to simply do their jobs.”
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What to expect from Radical Reports: Morning Briefing provides a daily round-up of reporting on the Radical Right; Extremist Links offers a weekly round-up of extremists activities including the white supremacist and militia movements; Narratives of the Right delivers weekly analysis of the current narratives in far right online spaces and promoted by right-wing media; and Research Desk provides monthly highlights research and analysis from academia on the Radical Right.