Anti-abortion bullies are fighting to take away your right to bodily autonomy through attacking abortion access, birth control, and fertility treatments such as IVF. As access to essential reproductive health care dwindles, we must fight back against anti-abortion bullies now more than ever.

Harassment and violence have long been components of the anti-abortion playbook, and it’s getting worse. Since the overturn of Roe v. Wade, the National Abortion Federation found that incidents of arson, invasions, death threats, burglaries, and stalking against clinic workers and those seeking abortion all increased. [1]

At the same time, there are efforts in Congress to repeal the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, also known as the FACE Act. In 1994, a bipartisan Congress passed the FACE Act, applying federal protection to safeguard abortion providers and patients from violence, harassment, and physical destruction. [2] Early in 2025, President Trump pardoned 23 individuals convicted of violating the FACE Act. [3] To be clear, they had not been convicted for so-called peaceful protest. Many were convicted for physically blockading access to care. One such individual pushed a patient onto the ground and injured a nurse. [4] Since release, their harmful and at times violent actions against patients and providers are being celebrated by anti-abortion organizations such as Live Action.  [5] Live Action honored Bevelyn Williams at their annual gala, who invaded an abortion clinic, pressed her body against a door to prevent people from seeking care, and caused injuries to a clinic worker in the process. [6]

Anti-abortion bullying doesn’t simply stop with abortion access. They are coming for birth control and fertility treatment such as in vitro fertilization (IVF). Many anti-abortion leaders and organizations have made it clear they want to ban IVF outright and have urged politicians to not pass legislation that would protect IVF. [7,8] Abortion opponents have been coming after birth control for years and attempt to conflate hormonal contraception and medication abortion. These medications, while all necessary, are not the same. [9] Banning birth control and fertility treatments such as IVF takes away the decision-making power for millions of people to decide if, when, and how to create their own families.

Anti-abortion bullies are dangerous, wrong, and often, violent. They are anti-freedom, anti-democracy, and anti-family.  Abortion opponents want to bully the public into having family and sexual relationships that only they deem as acceptable. We must fight back against anti-abortion bullying and push for comprehensive reproductive health care for all.

Sources:

1. https://www.splcenter.org/resources/reports/harassment/
2. https://prochoice.org/wp-content/uploads/face_act.pdf
3. https://feminist.org/news/trumps-pardons-of-23-antiabortion-extremists-endanger-providers-and-patients/
4. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.241671/gov.uscourts.dcd.241671.543.0_1.pdf
5. https://www.liveaction.org/life-awards-gala
6. https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/tennessee-woman-sentenced-41-months-prison-violating-freedom-access-clinic-entrances
7. https://www.liveaction.org/videos/emma-waters-exclusives
8. https://www.studentsforlifeaction.org/students-for-life-action-submits-letter-asking-congress-to-reject-the-misguided-ivf-blanket-protections-in-h-res-1043-and-h-res-1037/
9. https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2024/06/05/birth-control-access-abortion-ban/