The different gendered experiences in relation to anti-abortion terrorism provide a more nuanced grasp of the issue. Gendered ideas and stereotypes about women are often used to further the agendas and reasoning of anti-abortion terrorists. Ideas about femininity ingrained within society reinforce the idea that women are supposed to be “nurturing” and have a motherly, emotional, role. This percieved role of the nurturing, traditional woman is often used to justify anti-abortion ideology (Davies). Women are inheriently supposed to be mothers, and any rejection of their 'biological duty' is thus a rejection of womanhood. This challenged the whole of the carefully balenced societal structure of gender, and people who are too reliant on this structure for their entire worldview can subsequently be pushed to violence.

Another notable gendered experience to talk about is that in groups like the Army of God, the vast majority of the spokesmembers are men (Altum). This example perfectly ecapsulates how the agency of women is often excluded and eroded by institutions seeking the reification of gendered hierarchies. Concepts of masculinity and femininity create a dynamic in society where not only do cisgender men feel as though they have a say in this issue, they believe they are the ultimate authority, despite not being personally impacted by it. Not only are the majority of the perpetrators of anti-abortion violence men, but the majority of targets are men as well. Most often, male abortion doctors and clinitions are targeted for assasinations--as opposed to nontargeted attacks, such as bombings and arson (Fodeman). This once again idicates that the societal structures in place have given men a higher amount of perceived importance than women. These extremist groups demonstrably believe that they as men are the ones who should be responsible for women’s bodies in how they target abortion providers for violence over the indivudauls receiving reproductive healthcare.

A full gender analyis also demands an appreciation of intersectionality, including the spectrum of experiences of different races, religions, and sexual and gender minorities. The Army of God’s website espoused a number of anti-Islam beliefs as of 2003, though those statements cannot be found now; while the organization refuted claims of racism, they put out a number of articles with recist headlines in the past (Altum). More sinisterly, their website currently uses inflamatory quotes to propose that abortion clinics are the ones who a racist, that one of their goals is to "exterminate the Negro population," (Army of God). This sentament is echoed even by modern-day, nonviolent anti-abortion protesters who lie in wait outside clinics to harrass patients and compare reproductive health to "black genocide" (Kershaw). These other beliefs make anti-abortion violence that much more prevalent for those with intersectional identities. This can be further seen in the example of Eric Rudolph, the Olympic bomber, who not only targeted abortion clinics, but also a lesbian bar.

Prevailing societal views of women and men’s perceived dominance over them perpetuates many issues, including this one. Push harder for a reevaluation of the meaning of masculinity and femininity and their connection or lacktheirof with different types of anatomy may help reduce male anti-abortion terrorists’ proclivity to speak for women.

The power dynamics among those involved with the debate over abortion legislation and morality provide a further lens through which to analyze these conversations.

The hierarchical structuring of society where men are granted power over women by default is a longstanding facet of many cultures, including the United States. Men as a group are, broadly speaking, physically stronger than women as a group. Men have long had access to economic opportunities that have only recently opened up to women, giving them more access to resources and thus a greater degree of freedom of movement and autonomy. Women have also only very recently been given any say in policymaking, meaning most laws, especially long-standing foundational ones, are built by and for men. Even modern laws are built upon the bones of this power structure, and the framing of the abortion debate often reflects that.

Access to reproductive healthcare has been shown to be one of the most important factors contributing to the elevation of women from restrictive and dependent positions in the home to more economically and educationally independent lives (Kamiya). This increase in independence leads to an increase of social power and a destabilization of hierarchy.

Many religions have things to say about abortion and gender hierarchies, but this report will focus on Christianity as the dominant ideology in the US. Most if not all domestic anti-abortion violence is performed by people who declare themselves to be subscribed to some form of Christian fundamentalism, and many profess allegiance to the organization called ‘Army of God’. ‘Army of God’ is a loose network of anti-abortion extremists who share information and resources on how to plan and commit acts of violence (Altum; Mason). These people truly believe they are doing good in the world and that they are fighting for their god. The use of Christian mythology as the driving force behind their violence serves to legitimize it in the eyes of even moderate anti-abortion Christians who agree with the perpetrators’ sentiment but would never commit such violence themsleves.

Most large religious institutions are deeply hierarchical in nature, and serve to reinforce the power dynamics of the society they form in (Goh). They are also reliant upon the maintenance of those hierarchies, as religion is centered around the codifying of tradition and a specific (often male-dominated) morality. Religions then often produce people who are also deeply invested in reinforcing those hierarchies in order to maintain themselves. These people then are incredibly sensitive to the threat reproductive care brings against their hierarchies, and may be driven to extremes to prevent the leveling of their hierarchies. While undoubtedly, many opponents towards abortion rights genuinely believe the idea that abortion is the needless killing of babies, that doesn’t negate the realities of these broader structures.

The skeleton of the hate group's website can be found here.

WARNING: the pages contain images of dead and mutilated infants.