Anti-Abortion Faction Demands Jail Time for Women/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ A rising faction within the anti-abortion movement is pushing for criminal prosecution of women who have abortions. This hardline stance is fueling internal conflict among anti-abortion activists nationwide. With growing influence, abortion abolitionists are driving extreme legislation in multiple states.
Abortion Abolitionist Movement: Quick Looks
- Rising Extremism: Some anti-abortion activists want to prosecute women as criminals
- Internal Divide: Mainstream anti-abortion groups oppose punishing patients
- Legislation Surge: 12 states have proposed laws treating abortion as homicide
- Potential Penalties: Some bills could lead to death penalty for abortion
- Political Shift: Trump’s presidency has emboldened extreme policies
- Public Opinion: 8 in 10 Americans oppose criminalizing abortion seekers
- Social Media Conflict: Leaders like Kristan Hawkins targeted by extremists
- Faith-Based Drivers: Christian nationalist voices fuel the abolitionist movement
Anti-Abortion Faction Demands Jail Time for Women
Deep Look
As the U.S. grapples with the post-Roe legal landscape, a radical faction within the anti-abortion movement is gaining traction—and with it, a demand that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago: criminally charging women who have abortions.
Known as abortion abolitionists, these activists are pushing legislation that classifies abortion as homicide, even allowing for the death penalty in some state proposals. The movement’s momentum has sparked a deepening rift within the broader anti-abortion coalition and is generating alarm among legal scholars, healthcare advocates, and moderate conservatives.
At the center of this growing tension is Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life, one of the most prominent mainstream anti-abortion organizations in the country. While Hawkins is no stranger to protests from abortion rights activists, she now finds herself heckled and targeted by fellow abortion opponents.
“They call me ‘baby killer,’” Hawkins told the Associated Press. “They protest me more than Planned Parenthood.” After enduring escalating threats, Hawkins has had to increase personal security, even hiring bomb-sniffing dogs for her events.
From Fringe to State Capitol
Once relegated to the movement’s fringes, abortion abolitionists have become louder, more organized, and increasingly visible in state legislatures. Since the 2022 Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, which ended federal protections for abortion, they’ve been emboldened by Republican victories and sympathetic political climates.
In 2025, at least 12 states—including Alabama, Georgia, Texas, and Oklahoma—have introduced bills that would allow prosecutors to charge women who undergo abortions with murder. This marks a radical departure from traditional anti-abortion laws that primarily target providers rather than patients.
In Alabama, a newly introduced bill would classify abortion as murder. In Georgia, where nearly two dozen Republicans supported similar legislation, protesters swarmed the Capitol in opposition. And in Oklahoma, State Senator Dusty Deevers co-sponsored a bill aligned with his campaign to abolish abortion entirely.
Divisions in the Movement
While mainstream groups like SBA Pro-Life America and Students for Life continue to push for restrictions on abortion access, they have generally rejected efforts to punish women. In fact, in 2022, more than 70 national and state-level anti-abortion organizations signed a letter urging lawmakers not to criminalize abortion patients.
But the abolitionist movement sees these groups as compromised or politically weak. Online influencers and religious leaders with Christian nationalist leanings—such as podcaster Ben Zeisloft—have accused Hawkins and others of betraying the cause.
Some call for female anti-abortion leaders to step down entirely, citing religious doctrine that women should not hold leadership positions. These attacks have been laced with misogyny, according to legal expert Laura Hermer of Mitchell Hamline School of Law, who notes a rise in religiously motivated gender rhetoric among abortion abolitionists.
Trump’s Mixed Messaging and Its Impact
President Donald Trump’s return to office in 2024 has amplified the intensity of anti-abortion policy pushes, though his own statements have often vacillated. In 2016, Trump drew backlash after suggesting women should be punished for abortion, later walking back the remark. In 2025, he has promised to protect in vitro fertilization even as his administration supports fetal personhood language that could endanger fertility treatments.
Trump has also pardoned anti-abortion activists, paused family planning grants pending reviews, and signed executive orders adopting terminology championed by abolitionists. Experts say these actions have given cover to state lawmakers pursuing harsher abortion restrictions.
Legislation Trends and Public Opinion
So far, the most extreme abortion bills have failed to pass, often due to intervention from mainstream anti-abortion groups. In North Dakota, a bill was defeated after testimony from SBA Pro-Life America. In Oklahoma, local groups helped kill Dusty Deevers’ proposal—though he remains undeterred, calling the effort “progress.”
“We are seeing more of these bills than ever before,” said Dana Sussman of Pregnancy Justice. “What was shocking just a few years ago is now becoming normalized.”
Despite the political movement’s traction, public sentiment remains strongly opposed to criminalizing abortion seekers. According to a KFF poll, nearly 80% of Americans reject the idea of punishing women with fines or prison for getting abortions.
What’s Next for the Anti-Abortion Movement?
Kristan Hawkins believes the anti-abortion movement is now split into three camps:
- Abolitionists advocating for criminal prosecution of women
- Mainstream activists who oppose prosecuting patients entirely
- A middle-ground group that currently resists prosecution but may shift with cultural trends
Hawkins identifies with the third group but warns that extremism could backfire. “If you want more pro-abortion Democrats to win elections,” she said, “then keep talking about putting women in jail.”
As abortion abolitionists continue to push the envelope, the movement’s future may depend on whether internal unity can withstand the growing tide of radicalization—and how lawmakers and voters respond to the call for criminalizing reproductive healthcare.
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