Abortion providers and their allies are at constant risk of targeted harassment and intimidation by anti-abortion extremists. Our clients have been victims of horrific attacks, including threats, violence, intimidation, stalking, online harassment, and doxxing. Since 2017, we’ve provided free legal representation to abortion providers, clinics, researchers, advocates, and other allies to help safeguard their privacy, safety, and rights.
As a firm working on the cutting edge of tech-facilitated violence, we’re often privy to tactics used by abusers before they hit the mainstream. Most recently, we’ve seen a rise in unlawful surveillance targeting clinics.
It goes like this: an anti-abortion extremist walks into an abortion clinic under the guise of seeking abortion care, but they secretly record their visit. They then post these recordings to anti-abortion social media platforms. There are also cases of individuals joining virtual meetings hosted by clinics and healthcare facilities for the purpose of pulling clips out of context to post them online and further terrorize abortion providers and their allies.
The National Abortion Federation reported a case of unauthorized surveillance in its 2025 Violence & Disruption Report. In spring 2025, Boulder Valley Health Center (BVHC) hosted a virtual meeting for parents and guardians focused on consent and body awareness. An anti-abortion individual joined the meeting without knowledge of the BVHC staff, recorded it, took the footage out of context, and circulated it online. As a result, the clinic became the target of online abuse, hundreds of daily phone calls, and threats of violence directed at staff. While most of the harassment remained online, the clinic also experienced an increase in in-person protest outside its doors.
“In our conversations with abortion providers, we are seeing increased concerns around this unauthorized surveillance. It is already such an extreme violation to unknowingly be recorded, but then that footage is circulated online at a rapid rate, resulting in the amplification of threats against abortion providers and allies.” – Associate Zaynah Chaudhury
Recently, we represented a client who was secretly recorded by an anti-abortion extremist posing as someone seeking abortion care. The video quickly circulated online, but we successfully secured its removal shortly after our client discovered it. Quick, thorough action is key when minimizing the amplification of an abusive video.
If you or your clinic has been victimized by anti-abortion extremists engaging in unauthorized surveillance, please contact us to explore your options. We understand the unique challenges the reproductive healthcare community faces and are here to help mitigate further damage and help you put appropriate protections in place to safeguard your privacy.
