WASHINGTON (AP) — Kristan Hawkins, president of a national anti-abortion student group, has become used to facing challenges from abortion rights advocates while touring college campuses.
Recently, however, fellow anti-abortion activists have often set up booths with signs shouting “baby killer” at her as she engages with students. Hawkins has urged donors to assist with the costs for heightened security measures.
“I suspect they’ll protest me more than they will plan any events,” Hawkins remarked. “Believe it or not, I’m aware of the current costs for a bomb dog.”
During an interview with The Associated Press, Hawkins shared her experience, which reflects a broader trend seen among many as the push to enforce the criminalization of women seeking abortions gains momentum. This movement has intensified since the Supreme Court ruling in 2022 that overturned Roe v. Wade and solidified political control in Washington last year.
The effects of this movement are becoming visible in state legislatures nationwide.
Mainstream anti-abortion organizations have distanced themselves from laws that punish women for choosing abortions, while more extreme anti-abortion advocates maintain that abortion should be deemed murder and face full legal penalties. In numerous states, they have pushed for legislation to enforce this view.
Division Within the Anti-Abortion Movement
Mainstream anti-abortion factions have attempted to unify all sectors. Various gatherings this spring showcased their collective support for other objectives, such as funding cuts to Planned Parenthood.
Experts argue that the once fringe anti-abortion movement has gained ground following recent victories against abortion rights.
“The reversal of Roe v. Wade enables states to implement the most stringent abortion bans, invigorating the entire anti-abortion movement,” stated Rachel Lebesch, dean of Temple University’s Law School in Philadelphia. “In fact, the collapse of Roe has brought anti-abortion activists closer to their goal of banning abortions nationwide.”
In February, Hawkins posted on X that the individuals “most fearful of me being shot” are those within her own movement.
Following that, she faced criticism with tags like “Devil,” “Sorryly,” “Accessories to Murder,” and “Enemy of God.” Her post led to a torrent of online backlash from anti-abortion activists, with calls for her resignation and reminders that women shouldn’t hold roles outside the home, let alone lead significant anti-abortion organizations.
Some conservative podcasts and online personalities have either hosted anti-abortion fighters or echoed similar sentiments about the broader anti-abortion movement. Podcaster Ben Zaizloft from Theobros, a network of Christian nationalists, criticized the feminism of abortion, asserting, “We need Christian men to take charge of the fight against abortion.”
Professor Laura Hemer from Mitchell Hamline Law School in St. Paul, Minnesota, noted that such remarks reflect a troubling rise in misogynistic rhetoric, which aligns with the religious doctrines inspiring many in the anti-abortion disruptionist movement. She pointed out that members of this movement have been stripped of the constitutional rights regarding abortion for half a century, finding encouragement in the reversal of Roe and the recent actions of Republican President Donald Trump.
Growing State Bills Criminalizing Women Who Seek Abortions
These actions include suspending certain family planning grants amid ongoing investigations and activists who have obstructed clinics while signing presidential orders that utilize fetal personhood language, similar to state laws granting a fetus the same legal rights as a person. This legislation enjoys support from both anti-abortion activists and mainstream groups.
Trump’s rhetoric surrounding abortion has been inconsistent. In 2016, he retracted statements suggesting that women who undergo abortions should face “some form of punishment.” Recently, he pledged to protect in vitro fertilization treatments that may be jeopardized by laws adopting fetal personhood definitions.
Still, some experts assert that many state lawmakers have seen the Trump administration as a signal to pursue more aggressive anti-abortion measures.
At least 12 states, including Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas, have proposed bills allowing for murder charges against those who assist in abortions. If passed, some of these laws could impose the death penalty on women seeking abortions.
Many of these states already impose severe restrictions on abortion, typically penalizing providers instead of women seeking procedures.
Recently, Alabama lawmakers proposed a bill that classifies abortion as murder. In Georgia, protesters gathered last month at the State Capitol to oppose legislation defining abortion as murder from the moment of fertilization, supported by nearly 20 Republican co-sponsors.
A KFF poll conducted in September 2022 following the Roe ruling indicated that 80% of Americans opposed legislation criminalizing women who obtain abortions, resulting in fines or imprisonment.
Dana Sussman, senior vice president of Pregnancy Justice, who tracks such legislation, noted that she is witnessing an unprecedented rise in these bills. Sussman called it a “surprising increase,” highlighting that abortion rhetoric is influencing policy. When a similar bill passed a Louisiana House subcommittee in 2022, it ignited public protests—something that is no longer the case.
“Now they’re normalizing ideas that were once shocking,” Sussman explained.
“This Is How Change Happens.”
Republican Senator Dusty Deavers, who co-sponsored a bill in Oklahoma aimed at abolishing abortion, expressed a sense of duty to his constituents in pursuing such legislation, driven by his Christian beliefs.
The bill ultimately failed in Oklahoma due to opposition from certain local anti-abortion groups. Deavers has also advocated against birth control, expressing dissatisfaction with mainstream anti-abortion organizations.
“Politics and compromise have corrupted their mission,” he stated. “This is how change occurs. With controversial issues, change may not come swiftly… It might not be the outcome we wanted, but it’s progress.”
The North Dakota Legislature passed similar legislation after staff from the National Anti-Abortion Group SBA Prolife America testified against it, urging state legislators not to suggest committing crimes, based on a 2022 letter signed by over 70 national and state opposition groups.
“We’re all striving for the same goal,” said North Dakota Rep. Matt Ruby. “I believe some abolitionists have lost sight of that and are attempting to undermine other organizations in their anger, but they’re not doing anything to benefit the movement.”
Hawkins categorized the anti-abortion movement into three factions, as per her student-led organization. One group supports prosecuting women who undergo abortions, while an interim group opposes current prosecutions yet acknowledges that this might evolve as “cultural and legal changes unfold.”
Hawkins placed herself in the third category, arguing that contemporary anti-abortion activists don’t reflect the broader anti-abortion movement.
“If we want to win future elections with more abortion Democrats, we need to continue discussing the impracticality of sentencing women to prison,” Hawkins cautioned.
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Source: apnews.com