A Preferred Women’s Health Center has four locations, two in North Carolina and two in Georgia. The Charlotte clinic is the most heavily protested, with Hales estimating it sees anywhere between 15,000 and 30,000 protesters a year. When I asked for more specifics about the clinic and their patient volume, Hales said with a laugh: “I’m trying to figure out what I can tell you that’s not gonna get me shot by an ‘anti.’”
Since the Supreme Court repealed Roe v. Wade, violence against abortion providers and clinics has skyrocketed, making the FACE Act more vital than ever. The year Roe fell, there was a 538% increase in people obstructing clinic entrances, a 913% increase in stalking of clinic staff and a 133% increase in bomb threats, according to a National Abortion Federation report. Abortion clinics are also seeing an uptick in anti-abortion tourism: People from states where clinics have closed due to abortion bans travel long distances and, in some cases, have even moved to protest existing clinics in states where care is still legal.
Trump, who has repeatedly bragged about his role in overturning Roe, has filled his Cabinet with some of the most extreme anti-abortion zealots in politics. And although the president claims he wouldn’t support a federal abortion ban, much of his Republican base continues to advocate for criminalizing and rolling back protections for abortion care. One GOP House member recently introduced legislation to repeal the FACE Act entirely.
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