The post-Roe fight dividing anti-abortion activists

As anti-abortion activists gather in Washington, D.C., on Friday to celebrate the overturning of Roe v. Wade — a singular cause that united abortion opponents for decades — some factions are split on the movement's next steps.

The big picture: While mainstream anti-abortion messaging still revolves around sanctioning doctors or clinics, a small but growing group of self-described abortion abolitionists are taking steps to single out and punish those seeking to end a pregnancy.

Major anti-abortion groups like Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, the National Right to Life Committee and the March for Life organization — which is organizing Friday's anti-abortion rally — have urged state lawmakers crafting anti-abortion bills to consider abortion patients as "victims" immune from prosecution.

But Abolish Human Abortion, one of the most high-profile abortion abolitionist groups, states that abortion "is an act of murder and should never be considered an acceptable solution for any difficult circumstance."

Between the lines: There are currently no laws in effect that allow a pregnant patient to be prosecuted. In fact, many state laws stipulate that only providers can be punished, through fines, jail time or loss of a medical license.