A decision by Donald Trump to hand out pardons to nearly two dozen anti-choice activists convicted under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act) has opened the floodgates to more protests outside women’s health clinics and physical threats against the staffers. According to MS NOW, annual surveys from the National Abortion Federation aggregating self-reported incidents from more than 400 members reveal a troubling surge in violence and harassment targeting women’s health facilities. Of more than 300 facilities and workers who responded to the 2025 survey, approximately 200 reported incidents of violence or harassment — a number that excludes peaceful protests. More than 60 facilities reported receiving death threats or threats of harm, including attempted break-ins and threats against providers, with 10 facilities reporting multiple threats.
Trump’s Department of Justice has actively facilitated the escalation, MS NOW’s Julianne McShane wrote, adding that the DOJ previously released a report suggesting the Biden administration had targeted anti-abortion protesters for prosecution due to their religious beliefs. The department subsequently fired multiple prosecutors involved in those cases and announced during Trump’s second term that it would roll back most abortion-related FACE Act prosecutions and civil actions.
At the Delaware County Women’s Center in Upland, Pennsylvania, two people pardoned by Trump were among a half-dozen who allegedly set false appointments, then stormed the building and refused to leave, according to the NAF report and criminal complaints, the report notes. The protesters poured “an unknown liquid and salt-like substance” around the facility. Though all scheduled patients received abortions that day, the protesters were arrested and charged with defiant trespass. The defendants ultimately pleaded no contest. Amanda Kifferly, director of security and vice president for abortion access at the Delaware County Women’s Center, expressed deep concern about the shifting political landscape. “We live daily with the discomfort that they will return,” Kifferly said of the protesters when speaking with McShane, while suggesting staff members at her facility no longer believe they can rely on officials for justice or protection. “We could absolutely see a return to the pre-FACE era of large scale blockades,” Kifferly warned, signaling fears that abortion providers face an unprecedented vulnerability under the current administration.
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