Protect Medication Abortion
Anti-abortion extremists are attacking medication abortion. Add your name in support of access to medication abortion.
Reproductive Rights Podcast
Abortion Provider Renee Chelian on 50 Years of Protecting Patients, Fighting for Access – My Body. My Pod. Episode 17
Renee has been on the frontlines of protecting her patients and community, and advocating for abortion access for decades
Watch & Listen
Abortion clinics have long been targets of coordinated blockades, harassment, and violence. This reality has never stopped Rene Chelian, an abortion provider and advocate who has spent decades caring for patients and fighting for access.
In this episode of My Body. My Pod., Mini Timmaraju sits down with Renee, Founder and CEO of Northland Family Planning Centers, to talk about what it takes to deliver care, protect patients and staff, and defend abortion access in the face of escalating threats.
With nearly 50 years on the front lines, Renee has lived through the full scope of anti-abortion extremism—from clinic blockades to direct threats—and helped fight for the federal protections that make clinic access possible.
The FACE Act
The FACE Act is a federal law that protects patients and providers from threats, obstruction, and violence at health care facilities. It exists for a reason: abortion providers in the U.S. have faced decades of harassment, violence, and even targeted attacks.
🔍 A Closer Look: “Protecting abortion rights is protecting people you love.”
Abortion access is not just about whether care is legal. It’s also about whether patients can safely walk through the clinic doors.
Renee knows that history firsthand. Before the FACE Act, organized blockades could physically prevent patients from entering clinics. After the law passed—with bipartisan support—those large-scale blockades stopped almost immediately.
But the threats never fully disappeared—and under Trump, anti-abortion extremists have become newly emboldened, especially after he pardoned at least 20 people convicted under the FACE Act.
Trump’s Department of Justice also issued a memo ordering federal prosecutors to ignore violations of the FACE Act, giving a free pass to people who were found guilty of harassment and violence.
“People are dying because they don’t have access to care,” says Renee.
“These are not just anonymous faces. These could be someone you love.
Protecting abortion rights is protecting people you love.”
Mini and Renee dig into:
Threats to clinics before the FACE Act—with anti-abortion extremists organizing blockades to physically block patients from entering
How these attacks stopped almost immediately after the FACE Act passed
Why threats and intimidation have escalated again—particularly after Trump pardoned people convicted under the FACE Act
What it takes to keep clinics open today, from security measures to legal battles
How restrictive abortion bans compound these barriers, delaying care and putting people’s health and lives at risk
The role of federal, state and local elected officials in determining whether reproductive health acess—including abortion—is protected or stripped away
💡 Key Takeaway: Clinic Access is Abortion Access
When patients and providers are blocked, threatened, or intimidated, abortion isn’t actually accessible.
And when those barriers are layered on top of dangerous abortion bans, the consequences can be devastating: delayed care, serious health risks, and even death.
“When I’m nervous about security, I tell myself, ‘freedom isn’t free,’” says Chelian. “I had to tell my children … I’m fighting for you. I still do this for everybody else’s daughters.”
That’s why the FACE Act matters. That’s why elections matter. And that’s why protecting abortion access requires all of us—providers, advocates, lawmakers, voters, and communities—to stay in the fight.
3 Ways to Take Action Now
Protect Medication Abortion Access
Anti-abortion extremists are attacking medication abortion to essentially ban abortion for millions of people. Add your name in support of access to medication abortion.
Social Share: Stories of Harm
Honoring those whose lives have been tragically lost or harmed by abortion bans.
Join the Repro for All Volunteer Elections Team
We're pulling out all the stops to ensure voters get out and vote for reproductive freedom candidates up and down the ballot, and we need your help to make it happen!
🤿 Dive Deeper into the Details
Comstock Act
Anti-abortion groups are trying to create a nationwide abortion ban by enforcing a radical interpretation of the 1873 Comstock laws.
Stories of Harm (trigger warning)
When anti-abortion extremists ban abortion, people don’t just lose access—they face real harm. Patients are navigating dangerous laws and restrictions that endanger their lives and well-being.
Medication Abortion Is Under Attack
Mifepristone (a commonly used abortion pill) has been used safely for more than 20 years and 63% of all abortions in the U.S. were medication abortions in 2023.
Despite more than two decades of scientific evidence proving mifepristone’s safety and effectiveness, anti-abortion groups repeatedly announce their intent to attack mifepristone—it’s their top priority.
Support Reclaim
Renee continues her work through Reclaim, an initiative focused on restoring dignity, confidence, and public support for abortion and reproductive rights through advocacy and education.
💡Resources for Abortion Care
If you need abortion care, there are resources available:
- Find abortion care: Explore Abortion Finder, Abortion on our Terms, Plan C, —or chat with Charley the Chatbot (right here on this webpage).
- Medical support: M+A Hotline for abortion care resources
- Financial support: Groups like the National Network of Abortion Funds and ineedana.com can help you access financial resources.
- Legal help: Repro Legal Helpline and Abortion Defense Network
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ABOUT THE PODCAST
MY BODY. MY POD. WITH MINI TIMMARAJU.
The fight for reproductive freedom is more urgent than ever.
That’s why we’re bringing you My Body. My Pod. with Mini Timmaraju, a reproductive freedom podcast.
If you’re into building a nationwide movement to protect and expand health justice, reproductive equity, and the power of people to control their own lives, this show is for you.
Hear from leaders and changemakers who share wisdom from the front lines, stories of the real struggles people are facing every day, and a vision for the future we’re determined to win.
Hosted by Mini Timmaraju, President and CEO of Reproductive Freedom for All. Available on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts.
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