A dramatic spike in death threats against abortion providers was recorded in 2015 — an increase coinciding with the release of controversial undercover videos targeting Planned Parenthood, according to a
National Abortion Federation report.
The nation's largest abortion provider reports 94 death threats in 2015, up from one in 2014.
"In my more than 20 years with NAF, I have not seen such an escalation of hate speech, threats, and calls to action against abortion providers," Vicki Saporta, the group's president and CEO, wrote in a statement,
The Hill reports.
Clinic blockades almost doubled between 2014 and 2015, the group said in its report, and picketing increased fourfold to 21,715 incidents — more than any other year on record.
The number of suspicious packages and hoax devices sent to clinics also quadrupled to 35 in 2015 from nine in 2014, according to the group.
NAF charged the threats and violence in 2015 "directly correlates" to the release of secretly recorded footage by the anti-abortion group Center for Medical Progress accusing Planned Parenthood clinics of profiting from fetal tissue.
Planned Parenthood has filed a
federal lawsuit over the videos.
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