The new “$1.8 billion fund against instrumentalization,” set up by the US Department of Justice as a gesture of goodwill towards all American citizens in addition to the agreement allowing the IRS to pursue Donald Trump, could also benefit, in addition to the January 6, 2021 rioters, anti-abortion activists convicted of breaking into clinics offering this service to women.
The agreement text provides that anyone claiming to be a victim of legal exploitation by a federal administration could claim compensation and request money from five commissioners whose selection has not yet been announced.
The document provides several examples of people convicted under the Biden administration who could benefit from this solidarity fund, including those who violated the 1994 Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, a law that makes it a crime to block access to a healthcare facility or place of worship.
“Among other well-known examples of lawfare (the term used in the United States since 1975 to describe the politicization of justice), we can mention the abusive use of the FACE law by the Biden administration, falsely labeling some parents as domestic terrorists,” the agreement text states, denouncing “inappropriate ideological targeting.”
The Republican president, relying on ultra-conservative voters in this matter, pardoned 23 individuals shortly after taking office who had been convicted of barricading themselves in abortion clinics. Some were serving federal prison sentences. The White House also issued guidelines calling on local authorities to no longer sanction this vehement activism, except for “significant aggravating factors, such as death, serious bodily harm, or significant property damage.”
These directives have led “pro-life” activists to intensify their actions in states that continue to advocate for freedom of choice, according to the National Abortion Rights Federation. In its report released on Tuesday, the Federation states that the number of clinic blockages in 2024 increased from one to six in 2025, while harassment of healthcare professionals performing abortions and death threats doubled during this period, rising from 19 to 40 and from 38 to 81, respectively. As for campaigns of harassment through mail, email, and phone calls, they jumped from 1,899 to 69,740.
In addition to assaults on emergency contraception or emergency abortions, Donald Trump’s measures “sent a very clear and very dangerous message, namely that people who harass, threaten and intimidate healthcare providers and patients seeking abortion may not face consequences for violating the law, and we are seeing the effects nationwide,” lamented association president Brittany Fonteno.
In addition to impunity in court, perpetrators of assaults and harassment campaigns may receive the necessary funding for even greater actions through the “Fund against instrumentalization.”
