Since the Roe v. Wade decision legalized abortion in 1973, reproductive health clinics and health care providers across the United States and Canada have become the targets of violence by anti-abortion extremists. Physicians and clinic workers have been murdered; clinics have been bombed, burned down, invaded, and blockaded; and patients have been harassed and intimidated.
As a result, reproductive health care providers have had to undertake comprehensive security measures including employing security guards; installing security cameras, bullet-proof glass, and access control hardware; wearing bullet-proof vests; and implementing security protocols designed to increase the safety of doctors and clinic staff.
Clinic staff can be faced with threats and potential violence every day. NAF's violence statistics are just the beginning in understanding the impact this can have when dedicated health care professionals make the decision to help women. More
For more than 30 years anti-abortion extremists have attempted to use violence against abortion providers to advance their own personal and political agendas. They have injured and murdered health care workers across the country and intimidated and harassed patients who need reproductive health care. More
Violence against abortion providers began after the Roe v. Wade decision legalized abortion in 1973. The abortion debate turned deadly in 1993 with the murder of an abortion provider in Florida. Tactics such as murder, arson, bombing, and chemical attacks have been used over the years in an attempt to dissuade providers from offering women comprehensive reproductive health care. More
Enacted in 1994 after the first murder of an abortion provider, the FACE Act was passed by Congress to address the rise in violence against clinics and providers. The law imposes federal penalties for using force, the threat of force, or physical obstruction to block access to abortion care. More
Abortion clinics across the country are often targeted with threatening or suspicious mail. More
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