Story perspectives

Anti-Abortion Activist Arrested for Shooting Outside Clinic

11/26/2025

Summary

Story summary

Mark Baumgartner, 56, an anti-abortion activist and executive director of Moment of Hope, was arrested for a shooting outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in Columbia, South Carolina, on November 14, 2025.
He faces assault and battery charges and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
Video footage shows Baumgartner pepper-spraying a man before firing a shot.
A petition seeks Moment of Hope's severance from him.

History

Historical Context

The 1993 fatal shooting of two clinic workers at a Planned Parenthood in Brookline, Massachusetts, marked a significant escalation in violence against abortion providers, which had already seen numerous attacks since the 1970s. By 2020, the National Abortion Federation reported over 11,000 incidents of anti-abortion violence, underscoring ongoing threats to reproductive health services and prompting increased security measures at clinics nationwide.

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Story summary

Mark Baumgartner, 56, an anti-abortion activist and executive director of Moment of Hope, was arrested for a shooting outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in Columbia, South Carolina, on November 14, 2025.
He faces assault and battery charges and possession of a weapon during a violent crime.
Video footage shows Baumgartner pepper-spraying a man before firing a shot.
A petition seeks Moment of Hope's severance from him.

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