Trump’s DOJ Has Put Reproductive Health Clinics Under Threat

“It’s always just that much more frustrating when do something, and maybe the cops do come and they ask them to stop, but there’s no no charges, there’s no accountability, there’s no nothing,” said Hayes. “You’re seeing this confusion about what to enforce and what not to enforce.”

Meanwhile, abortion opponents are urging local law enforcement to follow the federal government’s lead and stay out of their way. “If you’re a Christian police officer, a pro-life police officer, you need to commit in your heart not to arrest rescuers that are defending children, leave them be, even if it costs you your job. If you’re not willing to protect the children yourself, let us do it,” said Jonathan Darnel, one of the anti-abortion activists pardoned by Trump, in a recent online event.

Although the threats against clinics have yet to reach the apex of the anti-abortion demonstrations of the 1980s and 1990s, before the FACE Act was approved, providers warn that the current political environment could lead to a return to those conditions. A recent report published by the National Abortion Federation outlined thousands of incidents of violence and disruption against clinics in the years 2023 and 2024. This included 777 instances of obstruction of clinics, 621 instances of trespassing, 296 threats of death or harm to abortion providers and patients, and 128,570 protesters demonstrating outside of clinics over that two-year period. The report also noted that disruptions were likely being underreported, as clinics may not report all incidents, and not all abortion providers are members of NAF.