Abortion clinics saw a “sharp increase” in violence and disruption in 2022, according to a new report from the National Abortion Federation (NAF).
Clinics saw a 231 percent rise in burglaries and a 229 percent increase in stalking of staff and patients over the last year, according to NAF, a professional association of abortion providers.
Arsons at abortion clinics doubled from two in 2021 to four in 2022. There was also a 25 percent increase in invasions — in which perpetrators gain access to clinics, cause disruptions and refuse to leave — and a 20 percent increase in death threats, the report found.
Several clinics also reported receiving suspicious envelopes containing a white powdery substance, sparking fears of anthrax poisoning. However, none of the envelopes ultimately contained anthrax.
The rise in various forms of violence at abortion clinics came amid the fallout from the Supreme Court’s decision last June to overturn Roe v. Wade.
“The data is proof of what we have known to be true: anti-abortion extremists have been emboldened by the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and the cascade of abortion bans that followed,” Melissa Fowler, NAF’s chief program officer, said in a statement.
However, NAF also found that there was a “disproportionate increase” in violence and disruption at clinics in states that maintained abortion protections after the end of Roe v. Wade.
These clinics saw a 913 percent increase in stalking incidents and a 538 percent increase in obstructions, or acts that seek to delay a business’s conduct or prevent people from entering or exiting. There was also a 133 percent increase in bomb threats, according to the report.
“As clinics closed in states with bans, extremists have simply shifted their focus to the states where abortion remains legal and protected, where our members have reported major increases in assaults, stalking, and burglaries,” Fowler added.
