Still, advocates refuse to back down. For many, providing abortion is more than a profession—it’s a calling. As Ruth Richardson, who herself was named on the Minnesota assassin’s target list, put it: “We can do hard things. We’ve had to do hard things. This isn’t new.”

The post ‘We Can Do Hard Things’: Abortion Providers Fight Back Against Rising Violence [Part 4 of 4] appeared first on Ms. Magazine.

“Their vision is violent at the outset,” says Frederick Clarkson, a longtime researcher of Christian extremism.

Advocates warn that rhetoric casting abortion as a holy war is not fringe—it is increasingly mainstream within the movement, fueling both deadly plots and everyday harassment of patients and providers.

The post ‘Dad Went to War’: The Radical Faith Behind the Minnesota Assassinations [Part 3 of 4] appeared first on Ms. Magazine.

The threats extend beyond firebombs. In Pennsylvania this summer, antiabortion activists staged a Red Rose Rescue invasion, disrupting care with fake IDs, “holy water,” and “tickets to heaven.” Several participants had been pardoned by Trump months earlier. Advocates say such incidents show a growing pattern: emboldened extremists traveling across state lines to terrorize clinics.

The post The Long Shadow of Dr. George Tiller: Abortion Providers Under Attack [Part 2 of 4] appeared first on Ms. Magazine.

This tragedy unfolded against a backdrop of federal retreat: Trump pardoned extremists convicted of clinic blockades and violence, and his Justice Department declared it would largely stop enforcing the FACE Act, the law meant to protect providers. Advocates warn these decisions have emboldened extremists, leaving abortion providers more vulnerable than at any time in decades.

The post Murder, Pardons and Impunity: How Antiabortion Violence Escalated Under Trump [Part 1 of 4] appeared first on Ms. Magazine.