LifeNews.com recorded more than 100 reports of assault, vandalism, harassment and other incidents targeting pro-life advocates in 2019.
Our news outlet began tracking these reports after pro-life organizations expressed alarm about an uptick in violence in recent years as they work to protect the rights of unborn babies.
The list identifies 99 separate reports, though several include multiple incidents, such as Prolife Across America’s report of more than a dozen pro-life billboards being vandalized between January and August. That equates to almost 10 incidents each month or about one every four days in 2019.
The reports come from local and national news outlets, as well as evidence documented through videos, photos, police reports and court records. LifeNews received information about additional alleged incidents that it could not confirm.
Confirmed reports include a Students for Life banner being set on fire at Western Washington University, a bomb threat at a 40 Days for Life event in Minnesota, multiple death threats against pro-life leaders, and video evidence of assaults of pro-life advocates.
Perhaps the biggest story that drew national attention came out of Pennsylvania when a state lawmaker filmed himself bullying an older woman and three young teenage girls. State Rep. Brian Sims also offered money publicly online for the identities of the young girls. Sims never was punished for his actions. He still is in office, and he never publicly apologized to the girls.
Pro-life students continuously have been victims of vandalism on college campuses across the U.S. In the 2018-2019 school year, Students for Life of America reported more than 50 pro-life student displays had been vandalized.The list grew even longer in the fall of 2019, and the student organization began an interactive map to keep track of the vandalism.
Kristan Hawkins, president of the organization, told LifeNews that free speech is under attack, especially on college campuses.
“What happens on campuses today moves into broader society tomorrow,” Hawkins said. “Students for Life fights year after year so that student groups can form and student free speech expressing love for both mother and preborn child as well as sharing the message of how abortion harms women can be heard. But it is a fight, and we have to be diligent or our voices will be silenced.”
Despite the growing hostilities, she said it is encouraging to see the pro-life generation standing strong for free speech as well as the rights of the unborn.
It is not just students who are being targeted. Several older pro-life advocates were victims of assault outside abortion facilities this year as they were sidewalk counseling. In April, a 76-year-old Massachusetts woman suffered a concussion and other injuries after a man allegedly shoved her to the ground outside a Planned Parenthood abortion facility in Boston. That same month, another older pro-life woman allegedly was assaulted outside of a Kentucky abortion facility and was hospitalized. In March, a video documented the brutal attack of an older pro-life man outside a Planned Parenthood abortion facility in San Francisco.
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Meanwhile, pro-life pregnancy centers that support women and babies, churches and billboards also were vandalized – some multiple times – this year.
These reports indicate that the violence of abortion is not just limited to unborn babies. Those who advocate for their lives and rights also are being targeted.
Here is the list:
- Colorado – Prolife Across America: Another Billboard Vandalized in Denver
- California – Video: Pro-Life Student Assaulted at Sacramento State (Sacramento Bee)
- California – Posters for “Unplanned” Film Torn Down, Vandalized at Orange Coast College (Coast Report Online)
- Mexico – Protesters Vandalize Monuments, Light Fires at Pro-Abortion Women’s March (Mexico News Daily)
- Canada – Ontario Right to Life Office Vandalized with Pro-Abortion Slogans (St. Catherines Standard)
- Connecticut – Prolife Across America: Billboard Vandalized with Pro-Abortion Slogan in Plainville
- Massachusetts – Older Pro-Life Woman Assaulted Outside Planned Parenthood
- Pennsylvania – Vandals Destroy Crosses from Pro-Life Display at Robert Morris University (Students for Life)
- Wisconsin – Pro-Life Display Vandalized at Milwaukee School of Engineering (Students for Life/Wisconsin Right to Life)
- Minnesota – Abortion Activists Vandalize Pro-Life Student Display at Winona State University (Students for Life)
- Pennsylvania – Church Vandalized a Third Time after Setting Up Pro-Life Display https://6abc.com/pro-life-
display-repeatedly-vandalized- at-bucks-county-church/ 5674193/ - Ohio – Students: 27 Posters for Pro-Life Event Vandalized at Xavier University (Xavier Newswire)
- Canada – Pro-Life Heartbeat Billboard Vandalized in Alberta (Red Deer Advocate)
- Indiana – Pro-Life Event Fliers Vandalized at St. Mary’s College (College Fix)
- Michigan – Flags Stolen from Pro-Life Display at Michigan State University (Campus Reform)
- England – UK Pro-Life Campus Clubs Face Threats of “Milkshaking,” Other Hostilities (The Independent)
- England – Police Protect Pro-Lifers Mobbed by Marxist Abortion Activists in London (National File)
- Tennessee – Abortion Activists Removed from Senate Hearing for Disrupting Meeting about Heartbeat Bill (Sergio Martínez-Beltrán/Nashville Public Radio)
- North Carolina – Abortion Activist Arrested for Larceny after Taking Things from Pro-Life Advocates (The Daily Tar Heel)
- Illinois – Pro-Life Signs Vandalized with Profanity at Elmhurst Catholic Church (Pro-Life Action League)
- Arizona – Abortionist Allegedly Pulls Gun on Pro-Life Advocate
- California – Video: Planned Parenthood Security Guard Allegedly Assaults Journalist During David Daleiden Trial https://www.dailywire.com/
news/watch-planned-parenthood- security-guard-pushes- journalist-police-report- filed?%3Futm_source=twitter& utm_medium=social&utm_ campaign=dwtwitter (Daily Wire) - Pennsylvania – Church Pro-Life Display Vandalized, Crosses Torn from the Ground
- Illinois – Man Charged for Allegedly Threatening Pro-Life Advocate with Knife Outside Abortion Clinic (police report, charges also listed on local judicial system website)
- Washington, D.C. – Video: Pro-Abortion Mob Spits On, Pushes Pro-Life Students
- England – Politician Praises Abortion Activists for Vandalizing Pro-Life Billboard
- Mexico – Abortion Activists Set Fire to Cathedral, Government Building during Protest
- Minnesota – Abortion Activist Allegedly Set Off Bomb Scare at 40 Days for Life Event in Rochester https://www.kaaltv.com/news/
suspect-arrested-for- allegedly-leaving-quotstink-bo mbquot-at-pro-life-event/ 5498451/ https://www.postbulletin.com/ news/public_safety/pro-life- event-at-rctc-evacuated-due- to-suspicious-item/article_ 9f7b938c-dad6-11e9-99ed-4ffc19 04bcb0.html - Oregon – Mother Says She Was Targeted with Fake Report to Child Protective Services after Nurse Learned She Is Pro-Life (Epoch Times)
- Indiana – Four Benches Advertising Pro-Life Pregnancy Resources Vandalized in South Bend (National Right to Life News) https://twitter.com/SJCRTL/
status/1174412160488943624https://wsbt.com/news/local/ local-pro-life-organization- says-someone-vandalized-four- of-its-benches - Tennessee – Videos: Abortion Activists Push, Kick Pro-Life Sidewalk Counselors
- Switzerland – Police: Abortion Activists Attack Officers, Throw Burning Objects (Swiss Broadcasting Corporation)
- El Salvador – Abortion Activists Throw Eggs, Red Paint on Attorney General’s Office (NBC News)
- Pro-Life Across America: More Than A Dozen Pro-Life Billboards Vandalized This Year – And It’s Only August https://www.lifenews.com/2019/
09/06/abortion-activists- vandalize-pro-life-billboards- featuring-pictures-of-newborn- babies/ - Chicago – Pro-life Billboard Vandalized with Pro-Abortion Slogan Painted over Baby’s Face (Pro-life Action League)
- Washington, D.C. – Pro-Lifer Allegedly Punched Repeatedly by Top Google Employee
- Texas – Pregnancy Center Vandalized for Second Time This Year
- Australia – Police Charge Cyclist for Allegedly Spitting Directly in Pro-Life Protester’s Face
- Australia – Pro-Life MPs Receive Death Threats After Voting Against Radical Pro-Abortion Bill
- Maine – Pro-Life Sign Stolen from Church Lawn (News Center Maine)
- England – Christian Family’s Window Smashed after Displaying Pro-Life Poster (UK Metro)
- Illinois – Chicago Pregnancy Center’s Mobile Van Vandalized, Tires Slashed
- Washington, D.C. – Man who Allegedly Mocked, Threatened to Shoot Pro-Lifers at D.C. Planned Parenthood Goes Free (Live Action News)
- England – Scottish MP Receives Threats after Voting Against Pro-Abortion Bill (News Letter) https://www.lifenews.com/2019/
07/15/abortion-activists- threaten-to-rape-assault-pro- lifer-lawmaker-after-she- votes-against-abortion/ - North Carolina – Pregnancy Center Van Vandalized with Pro-Abortion Graffiti
- Wisconsin – Woman Arrested for Allegedly Vandalizing Pro-Life Display, Pushing Pro-Life Advocate (Created Equal)
- Texas – Anarchist Group Threatens to Dox Students who Join Conservative Pro-Life Groups (College Fix)
- Canada – Canadian Movie Theater Cancels “Unplanned” After Abortion Activists Threaten Violence, Catholic Herald Reports 2 Death Threats
- Canada – “Unplanned” Movie Premiers in Theaters Across Canada Despite Censorship and Pro-Abortion Threats
- North Carolina – Abortion Activists Arrested at City Council Meeting about Ordinance Restricting Free Speech (Charlotte Observer)
- Washington state – Video: Person Caught Stealing Crosses from Pro-Life Display (Students for Life)
- Ireland – Pro-Life Student Receives Death Threat after Writing Column Defending the Unborn (The Irish Catholic)
- Alabama – Pro-Life Sidewalk Counselors: Driver Tried to Hit Us outside Abortion Clinic (Live Action)
- Massachusetts – Abortion Activists Arrested After Throwing Urine on Pro-Life Speaker
- Illinois – Pro-Life College Student Receives Death Threats for Proposing Cuts to Abortion Funding (Fox News)
- Missouri – Abortion Activists Arrested at Protest Demanding Pro-Life Governor Keep Dangerous Abortion Clinic Open (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
- Florida – Video: Student Wrecks Pro-Life Display at University of Central Florida (Created Equal)
- Alabama – Abortion Advocates Threatened to Rape Pro-Life Legislator’s Wife After He Voted for Abortion Ban
- Mississippi – Pro-Life Advocate Hit with Cane, Pushed at Pro-Abortion Rally
- Ohio – Abortion Activists Spit on Pro-Life Woman, Threaten Rape (Created Equal)
- Ohio – Abortion Activist: Pro-Life Advocates “Deserve To Be Shot” (Created Equal)
- Washington, D.C. – Student: Abortion Activists Pushed, Threatened Him at National Protest (Breitbart)
- New Jersey – Student Pro-Life Display Vandalized, Signs Stolen (The Signal, College of New Jersey)
- Pennsylvania – Catholic Church Vandalized with Pro-Abortion Slogan
- Abortion Activists Threaten to Kill, Rape Wife and Daughter of Pro-Life Writer Matt Walsh
- Michigan – Pro-Life Office Vandalized after Lawmakers Pass Bill to Protect Unborn Babies
- North Carolina – Student Arrested for Stealing Sign from Pro-Life Advocates on Campus
- Alabama — Abortion Activist Caught on Camera Assaulting Pro-Life Woman, Punches Her Repeatedly
- California – Video: Student Destroys Pro-Life Display on Campus (Students for Life)
- Washington state – Police Investigating Arson after Pro-Life Display Set on Fire on Campus https://www.bellinghamherald.
com/news/local/ article230180669.html - North Carolina – Video: Student Charged after Punching Pro-Lifer Repeatedly in the Face
- Pennsylvania – State Lawmaker Berates Pro-Life Woman, Attempts to Doxx Pro-Life Teenage Girls
- California – FBI Arrests Man for Alleged Serious Death Threats against Pro-Life Speaker Ben Shapiro, Family (TMZ)
- Alabama – Abortion Activist Throws Paint inside Alabama House as Lawmakers Vote to Ban Abortion
- Texas – University of Texas Austin Student Pro-Life Materials Stolen, Thrown in the Gutter (Students for Life)
- Texas – Abortion Activists Try to Shut Down Pro-Life Speaker With Smokebomb. They Failed
- Washington state – Conservative Student: Man Vandalized Display, Tried to Hit Her With Car Twice (The College Fix)
- Kentucky – Elderly Pro-Life Woman Attacked Outside Abortion Facility, Thighbone Broken
- Illinois – Thief Steals Pro-Life Students’ Display at Southern Illinois University- Edwardsville (Students for Life)
- Texas – Police Investigate Threats Against Pro-Life Republican Lawmakers (Dallas News)
- Missouri – Pro-life Speaker Michael Knowles attacked during speech at University of Missouri-Kansas City (Campus Reform)
- California – Pro-Abortion Students Throw Pro-Life Display Into River, Protest Pro-Life Speech With Coat Hangers
- California – WATCH: Planned Parenthood Supporter Brutally Assaults Elderly Pro-Life Volunteer
- Massachusetts – Massachusetts Citizens for Life Receives Suspicious Package, Building Shut Down
- Michigan – Video: Abortion Activists Steal Crosses from Pro-Life Display at University of Michigan
- Massachusetts – Pro-lifer Punched in Face Outside Abortion Facility (police report: http://blog.brooklinepolice.
com/2019/03/thursday-march- 14th.html) - Connecticut – Pro-Life Students’ Display Vandalized at University of Connecticut
- Missouri – Items Stolen, Vandalized from Church Pro-Life Display (WDAF Kansas City)
- Minnesota – Campus Republican Club Catches Students on Video Tearing Down Pro-Life Fliers (College Fix)
- Australia – Video: Pro-Abortion Students Vandalize Pro-Life Campus Display (LifeChoice Australia)
- England – Police Investigate Violent Attacks on Pro-Life People at Prayer Vigils
- Ohio – Abortion Activists Harass Pro-Life Rape Survivor, Police Called
- New York – Pro-Life Pregnancy Center Posters Torn Down, Vandalized (Binghamton University Pipe Dream)
- Washington state – 3 Pro-Life Billboards Vandalized: “Your Life Drains Earth” (The Blaze)https://www.bellinghamherald.
com/news/local/crime/ article224777395.html - California – Abortion Activists Destroy, Steal UCLA Pro-Life Club Signs (Live Action)
- Virginia – Pregnancy Center Vandalized in Politically Motivated Attack
- Washington, D.C. – Abortion Activists Smash Pro-Life Sign, Hit Boy and His Dad With a Stick
- France – Abortion Activists Spraypaint “Blessed Abortion” on Catholic Church (National Catholic Register)
- Texas – Pro-Life Advocate Brutally Assaulted for Telling Man “Jesus Loves You”
