The State of California has enacted a $20 million grant program for the protection of abortion businesses, a measure that comes as harassment and violence against pro-life organizations continues nearly unchecked.
California Governor Gavin Newsom framed the grants as a means to build up abortion infrastructure in the state, including $20 million towards greater security for abortion businesses, both brick-and-mortar and virtual. A spokesperson from the California Office of Emergency Services, which oversees the grants, cited trends published by the National Abortion Federation that purported to show a need for the grants. “The threats we face in 2023 and beyond are no longer just physical threats,” he said, according to CapRadio. “There are cybersecurity threats, and in many cases, [abortion] providers don’t have the level of sophistication in terms of some of their operations.”
Although it’s unclear how many or what kind of digital threats abortion organizations face, California state officials yet again plan to funnel taxpayer funds to the abortion industry. “Bad actors may be either states that are adversarial to abortion rights or they might be private actors — individuals, groups — that are trying to make it harder for those seeking abortions,” the spokesperson added.
California has long been one of the most abortion-friendly states in the nation, with nearly 20% of chemical abortions per year in the U.S. committed in that state alone. Late last year, a broad swath of abortion-related legislation was passed in California, including Proposition 1 enshrining a right to abortion in the state’s constitution that incorporated a legal loophole allowing infanticide, as well as grants to protect abortion businesses, according to CapRadio.
This latest pro-abortion grant comes as violence against pro-life individuals, businesses, and pregnancy resource centers (PRCs) has grown – with the vast majority of perpetrators remaining at large. In Long Beach, California, an angry pro-abortion protester disrupted a pro-life maternity home during a church service, cursed, and broke items before police removed her. Pro-abortion terrorist group Jane’s Revenge took credit for attacking PRCs in California and Vermont, and threatened to “hunt” pro-lifers at their homes. The threatening mantra, “If abortions aren’t safe, neither are you” has frequently been used to vandalize pro-life targets all over the country. Jane’s Revenge and other abortion activists have also firebombed pro-life targets in Wisconsin, Oregon, and New York, set fire to a facility in Colorado, set fire to a Catholic church in Virginia, and carried out many more violent attacks documented by Live Action News.
In June of last year, dozens of pro-life organizations and members of Congress sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland calling out the government’s apparent lack of response to such harassment surrounding the overturn of Roe v. Wade.
“The relative silence from the Administration endangers Americans even more,” the letter reads. “One extremist group is advocating for violence in response to the final Supreme Court decision on Dobbs, while another group has published home addresses, and encouraged people to show up at Supreme Court Justices’ homes, churches, and their children’s schools in an attempt to coerce the Justices and influence their final decision. Last week, there was an attempted assassination of a sitting Supreme Court Justice at his home.”
In January 2023, the House of Representatives passed a resolution condemning such attacks on pro-life groups. Although the DOJ recently indicted two Florida residents for vandalism against PRCs, dozens more incidents remain unresolved.
