Extreme acts of violence, vandalism, and arson by militant, pro-abortion groups involving Molotov cocktails and other “incendiary devices” have caused extensive damage to dozens of pregnancy crisis clinics across the nation after the May 2 leaked Supreme Court draft opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
Wednesday’s latest attack on the Jackson Right to Life clinic in Jackson, Mich., marks the most recent in a string of assaults on pregnancy clinics and pro-life organizations claimed by a group billed “Jane’s Revenge.” In May were fire bombings of the Gresham Pregnancy Resource Center in Portland, Ore., and the CompassCare clinic in Buffalo, N.Y.
Additional centers targeted include the Mountain Area Pregnancy Services in Ashville, N.C.; Next Step Pregnancy Services in Lynnwood, Wash.; the Capitol Hill Crisis Pregnancy Center in Washington, D.C.; and Wisconsin Family Action in Madison, Wis., among many others.
A tweet by Brandon Dutcher exposes the “peaceful protests” against unarmed pregnancy centers: “At least 63 acts of violence, property destruction, and disruption of religious services have occurred in the 52 days since the leak of a draft #SCOTUS decision in the #Dobbs abortion case.”
And still no arrests.
As reported Wednesday by Fox News Digital, which obtained photos of the damage to the Jackson Right to Life clinic, including shattered windows and graffitied signage outside the clinic, which shares an office space with Republican Congressman Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), the attack was claimed by the pro-abortion extremist group “Jane’s Revenge.”
In recent days, multiple media outlets have released statements by the FBI that allege the agency is investigating these acts of domestic terrorism; however, The New American could not confirm this is true, as no related press releases are posted on the FBI’s official website.
The New American called the FBI National Press Office to request an official statement and was told to send an email with personal information, including the reporter’s name and news outlet, to receive the public information.
According to the Catholic News Agency (CNA) and other popular mainstream outlets such as the Daily Mail and the Washington Stand, “The FBI is investigating a series of attacks and threats targeting pregnancy resource centers and faith-based organizations across the country.”
The FBI National Press Office shared in a statement with CNA Friday that “the FBI takes all threats seriously and we continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners and will remain vigilant to protect our communities.”
Still, as the Daily Signal reported Wednesday, no arrests have been made. “So far, the eruption of attacks against churches and pro-life organizations and the subsequent announcement of an FBI investigation have received scant coverage from legacy media.”
Yet in the wake of more attacks on Sunday in Detroit, a handful of congressional Republicans reportedly sent a letter Tuesday to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and FBI Director Christopher Wray, demanding that they “officially classify those committing crimes through Jane’s Revenge as domestic terrorists.”
According to the Daily Signal, Wiley Thompson, a former FBI assistant director, presented this “grave assessment” of the attacks:
“Based on an objective reading of federal statutes, there is reason to believe that the crimes occurring at the pro-life pregnancy centers are a violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO),” Thompson told the Washington Stand. “The FBI should identify the source of funding, direction, and coordination among the offenders and then create a link analysis that connects the dots for presentation to a federal grand jury, followed by indictments.”
Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi didn’t seem too concerned when recently confronted by a reporter asking about the spike in attacks on churches and crisis pregnancy centers, seeking a response regarding Pelosi’s rhetoric, suggesting it was contributing to the attacks. Pelosi remarked:
“A woman has a right to choose. It’s up to her, her doctor, her family, her husband, her significant other and her God. I’m a very Catholic person and I believe in a woman’s right to make her own decisions.”
A Damaged Clinic in Lynnwood, Wash., Responds
Heather Vasquez, executive director of Next Step Pregnancy Services located in the Seattle suburb of Lynnwood, Wash., which was attacked on May 25, talked with The New American magazine about the assault on her center.
“I do believe it [Roe] will be overturned…. I’m feeling pretty optimistic about it…. I’m unfortunately in [Washington] state where it [abortion] will probably stay [widely available], but when people say it [the Supreme Court decision] won’t change anything here I disagree with that. I think it [the decision] will force places like Next Step and other pregnancy resource clinics to step up and be there to serve.”
Next Step, which has been serving the community for almost 25 years and meets with approximately 1,200 clients a month, was attacked on May 25 in the dark of night, by a criminal clad head to toe in a black hoodie and masks.
The person graffitied the Next Step front and back porch areas with the words, “If abortion isn’t safe, you aren’t either!” Noteworthy is the exclamation point was filled in with a heart. They also tagged the clinic with “Jane’s Revenge.”
The perpetrator then “broke a pile of windows” using rocks lining the clinic building, explained Vasquez. “It was a huge mess. We had a local group Transblue help us get the spray paint off and reordered windows for us and replaced those. A really great group of guys,” she said.
The Lynnwood Police department told The New American in an email that “the FBI was notified by us of the incident the day it was reported,” and that “no arrests have been made.”
Seattle journalist and radio talk show host Jason Rantz described the criminal as “dressed in all black.” He tweeted that the figure seen in the surveillance video tagged the property with the threat “if abortion isn’t safe, you aren’t either!” and “Jane’s Revenge.”
Vasquez says that while the police investigated, “they didn’t have a lot to go on.” The black, Antifa-style outfit makes certain that identifying the assailant is nearly impossible. Vasquez says extra police patrols have been organized, and the clinic’s board has been forced to hire security for the day of the SCOTUS decision. According to “Jane’s Revenge’s” website, “it’s open season” on the pro-life organizations once that ruling is made, especially if that decision is not one with which they agree.
Next Step Is Not Stepping Aside
Still, Vasquez and her staff remain calm, though she admits some nervousness. She and her entire staff still plan to come into the clinic every day, vowing not to close its doors.
“This is our work. We are obviously doing something right if people are that angry about it. We work here every day, all day, so we see exactly what happens here and I feel there are a lot of people who are very misinformed about what happens in pregnancy resource clinics.”
She described numerous reasons why women visit her clinic, reminding me that they don’t “force people to parent or shame them … or start quoting Scripture … it’s nothing like that. Our nurses are fantastic. They listen to [these women]; they talk truthfully with them about their options…. I invite people all the time to come and hang out with us and ask our nurses questions.”
Whatever happens with Roe won’t change what Vasquez and her staff do at her clinic. “We’re 100 percent for women. Whatever the decision is, we’re going to keep doing our work and being here to serve in whatever capacity we can. Whether it’s families who come to us, or women or men — we’re trying to get more fathers to come in, they are part of this, too…. We’re going to keep doing what we’ve been doing, which is serving women…. God has a plan.”
