Introduction to the Anti-Abortionist Movement
The anti-abortionist movement has been gaining momentum, particularly after the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling overturning Roe v Wade. This movement has led to a split within the anti-abortion community, with some groups seeking to outlaw all abortions and enforce the ban with criminal prosecution of any women who have abortions.
A Split Within the Anti-Abortion Movement
Mainstream anti-abortion groups have largely shied away from legislation that would punish women for having abortions. However, abortion abolitionists believe abortion should be considered homicide and punished with the full force of the law. In many states, they have been advocating for legislation to do just that. Kristan Hawkins, president of the national anti-abortion group Students for Life, has faced counterprotests from abortion rights activists and even from fellow abortion opponents, who call themselves abortion abolitionists.
The Rise of Abortion Abolitionists
The abortion abolitionist movement, once considered fringe, is growing and getting louder, empowered by recent victories for abortion opponents. Experts say that the movement’s impact is beginning to show up in statehouses around the country. With the reversal of Roe v. Wade, states can now pass the most severe abortion bans, which has galvanized the anti-abortion movement as a whole, including the abortion abolitionist movement.
State Bills Seeking to Criminalize Women Who Get Abortions
So far this year, bills introduced in at least 12 states would allow prosecutors to charge those who have abortions with homicide. In some of those states, women could be subject to the death penalty if the bills were to become law. Most of those states already ban abortions in most cases, but the restrictions have typically penalized providers, rather than those seeking the procedure.
The Impact of the Abortion Abolitionist Movement
The movement’s impact is not only limited to state legislation but also has a broader social impact. The comments from abortion abolitionists reflect a broader uptick in misogynistic rhetoric and align with the religious doctrines motivating many in the movement. Many experts say that the rhetoric of abortion abolitionists is having an impact, and what was once shocking is no longer shocking.
Normalizing the Idea of Criminalizing Women
Dana Sussman, senior vice president at Pregnancy Justice, which tracks this type of legislation, said she is seeing more of those bills than ever before. Sussman said it was a "remarkable increase" and a sign that the rhetoric of abortion abolitionists is having an impact. The normalization of the idea of criminalizing women who get abortions is a concerning trend that has significant implications for women’s rights and reproductive health.
The Role of Mainstream Anti-Abortion Groups
Mainstream anti-abortion groups have tried to play down any divisions and instead emphasized their unity behind other goals, such as defunding Planned Parenthood. However, the split within the anti-abortion movement is evident, and the impact of the abortion abolitionist movement is being felt. Hawkins said there are three camps within the anti-abortion movement: one that seeks to prosecute abortion patients, one that would never want to prosecute patients, and one somewhere in between.
Conclusion
The anti-abortionist movement, particularly the abortion abolitionist movement, is gaining momentum and having a significant impact on state legislation and social discourse. The movement’s push to criminalize women who get abortions is a concerning trend that has significant implications for women’s rights and reproductive health. As the debate continues, it is essential to consider the potential consequences of such legislation and the impact it could have on women’s lives.
FAQs
- What is the abortion abolitionist movement?
The abortion abolitionist movement is a faction within the anti-abortion community that seeks to outlaw all abortions and enforce the ban with criminal prosecution of any women who have abortions. - How many states have introduced bills to criminalize women who get abortions?
At least 12 states have introduced bills that would allow prosecutors to charge those who have abortions with homicide. - What is the potential penalty for women who get abortions in some states?
In some states, women could be subject to the death penalty if the bills were to become law. - How has the reversal of Roe v. Wade impacted the anti-abortion movement?
The reversal of Roe v. Wade has galvanized the anti-abortion movement as a whole, including the abortion abolitionist movement, and has led to a surge in state legislation seeking to restrict or ban abortions. - What is the role of mainstream anti-abortion groups in the debate?
Mainstream anti-abortion groups have tried to play down any divisions and instead emphasized their unity behind other goals, such as defunding Planned Parenthood. However, the split within the anti-abortion movement is evident, and the impact of the abortion abolitionist movement is being felt.
By CHRISTINE FERNANDO
WASHINGTON (AP) — As Kristan Hawkins, president of the national anti-abortion group Students for Life, tours college campuses, she has grown accustomed to counterprotests from abortion rights activists.
But more recently, fellow abortion opponents, who call themselves abortion abolitionists, are showing up to her booths with signs, often screaming “baby killer” at her while she speaks with students. Hawkins has had to send alerts to donors asking them to help pay for increased security.
“I’m pretty sure they protest me more than they protest Planned Parenthood,” Hawkins said. “Believe it or not, I now know the price of a bomb dog.”
Hawkins’ encounters, which she related during an interview with The Associated Press, are just one example of what many people involved in the abortion debate have described as the widening influence of a movement that seeks to outlaw all abortions and enforce the ban with criminal prosecution of any women who have abortions. It began gaining momentum after the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling overturning Roe v Wade and has accelerated since Republicans won full political control in Washington in last year’s elections.
The movement’s impact also is beginning to show up in statehouses around the country.
Mainstream anti-abortion groups have largely shied away from legislation that would punish women for having abortions, but abortion abolitionists believe abortion should be considered homicide and punished with the full force of the law. In many states, they have been advocating for legislation to do just that.
A split within the anti-abortion movement
Mainstream anti-abortion groups have tried to play down any divisions and instead, at various rallies this spring, have emphasized their unity behind other goals, such as defunding Planned Parenthood.
Experts say the abortion abolitionist movement, once considered fringe, is growing and getting louder, empowered by recent victories for abortion opponents.
“With the reversal of Roe v. Wade, now states can pass the most severe abortion bans, which has galvanized the anti-abortion movement as a whole, including this part of it,” said Rachel Rebouche, dean of Temple University Beasley School of Law in Philadelphia. “Certainly the fall of Roe has brought abortion abolitionists one step closer to what they want – banning abortion nationwide.”
In February, Hawkins posted on X, saying “the people I fear getting shot by, most of the time,” are not abortion rights activists but abortion abolitionists.
Then came the replies: “Demon,” “Ungodly,” “An accessory to murder,” “Enemy of God.” Her post opened a fire hose of online barbs from abortion abolitionists. Some called for her to resign and asserted that women should not have roles outside the home, let alone leading national anti-abortion groups.
Some conservative podcasts and online figures have hosted abortion abolitionists or echoed similar disdain for the larger anti-abortion movement. Ben Zeisloft, a podcaster for TheoBros, a network of Christian nationalist influencers, blamed feminism for abortion and said, “We need Christian men leading the fight against abortion.”
The comments reflect a broader uptick in misogynistic rhetoric and align with the religious doctrines motivating many in the abortion abolitionist movement, said Laura Hermer, a professor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota.
She said members of the movement have been emboldened by the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which had granted a constitutional right to abortion for half a century, and recent actions by Republican President Donald Trump.
More state bills seek to criminalize women who get abortions
Those actions include pausing some family planning grants pending investigations, pardoning anti-abortion activists who blockaded clinics and signing an executive order that uses fetal personhood language similar to verbiage in state laws declaring that a fetus should have the same legal rights as a person. The laws are supported by both abortion abolitionists and mainstream anti-abortion groups.
Trump’s rhetoric on abortion has been mixed. In 2016, he backtracked after saying there should be “some form of punishment” for women who have abortions. He has recently pledged to protect in vitro fertilization, a fertility treatment that has been threatened by fetal personhood laws.
Still, several experts said many state lawmakers have taken Trump’s return to the White House as a green light to pursue more aggressive anti-abortion policies.
So far this year, bills introduced in at least 12 states – Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas – would allow prosecutors to charge those who have abortions with homicide. In some of those states, women could be subject to the death penalty if the bills were to become law.
Most of those states already
