WASHINGTON — Pro-life activists are eagerly anticipating a long-awaited Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. But a dark cloud looms over their hopeful victory — a “Summer of Rage” and protesting promised by pro-abortion activists.
Panicked and angry, abortion supporters announced this “Summer of Rage” following the leak of a draft opinion indicating that the justices are preparing to overturn Roe v. Wade. These abortion advocates kicked off protests with a “Bans off Our Bodies” demonstration, largely led by the Women’s March, on May 14.
Abortion groups nationally have called for a large-scale backlash to the momentous news, including protesting at the homes of Supreme Court Justices and even in Catholic masses. Around the country, pro-life clinics and centers have reported vandalism, threats, and violence, and a May 13 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) memo revealed that government officials are investigating threats to the justices, the clerks, to places of worship, and to abortion clinics.
But pro-life leaders who spoke with The Daily Wire expressed confidence in their ability to continue to serve mothers and babies, and promised to conduct themselves with dignity in the face of any anger or vitriol.
“We will not be intimidated or silenced to stop working for the day when both moms and babies are given full dignity, protection, and support,” said Jeanne Mancini, who heads the massive March for Life annually in Washington, D.C., on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade.
Activists have been working and praying for nearly 50 years for Roe to be overturned, Mancini said, emphasizing that the March for Life is “committed to restoring a culture of life in our country,” and that her organization “condemns violence of any form, including violence in the womb, and on the contrary witnesses to the beauty of life through loving, peaceful protests.”
The pro-life Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List) is urging authorities to “uphold the law and protect free speech, the right to peaceably assemble and also the homes and offices of pro-life individuals and groups,” according to SBA List’s Vice President of communications, Mallory Carroll.
“Abortion is violence against the unborn and their mothers,” she said. “It is not surprising that this hostility would spill over toward those who advocate for life.”
SBA List will answer calls for a “Summer of Rage” with “a continuation of our service to mothers and their children,” Carroll said.
“Our movement is more committed than ever to building the pro-life safety net, supporting our pregnancy centers and meeting the needs of women and families, walking alongside them with love,” she said.
On a sunny Monday morning in the nation’s capitol, a small group of pro-life activists gathered outside the Supreme Court in hopes that the court would release its decision in the case pertaining to Roe, Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
No decision came, but Concerned Women for America’s Penny Nance remained hopeful as she discussed the impending decision with The Daily Wire outside the court.
“We already have been working very hard for alternatives to abortion for the past 50 years,” she said, emphasizing that this summer will be “an important time for us to reach across the aisle and show love and compassion.”
Nance said that she is concerned about violence in the coming months, drawing on recent vandalism of CWA’s office in Alexandria, Virginia. “We’ve already had incidents in our office and we have armed security. We will continue to do that,” she said firmly.
The reaction to news of the leaked opinion reminds Nance of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation, she told The Daily Wire, describing this period as “a very frightening time.”
“They are being told that it’s the end of the world for them,” she explained. “They are being hyped into action by people who don’t have the best interest of our nation in their hearts.”
Democratic lawmakers who refuse to specifically condemn violence are “partly responsible,” she said, emphasizing that “it is their responsibility to get a handle on it and to actually encourage their side to do what we’ve done, to peacefully advocate for their position on a state by state basis.”
The Daily Wire reached out to a number of pro-abortion organizations, including the Women’s March, ShutDownDC, and Planned Parenthood for this story. None of these organizations responded to requests for comment regarding concerns about violence.