The Blue Ridge Pregnancy Center in Lynchburg, Virginia was attacked on June 25 following the SCOTUS decision overturning Roe v. Wade. (BRPC Instagram photo)
NASHVILLE (BP) — Pregnancy care centers across the United States were told to heighten security over the weekend in light of Friday’s (June 24) Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade. Extremist pro-choice groups like Jane’s Revenge took to the internet to encourage people to join in their violent brigades or start their own.
A June 25 post on the Jane’s Revenge website said, “Everyone with the urge to paint, to burn, to cut, to jam: now is the time. Go forth and manifest the things you wish to see. Stay safe, and practice your cursive.”
Attacks on pregnancy support centers were reported over the weekend in Longmont, Colo. and Lynchburg, Va. The centers serve local pregnant women by providing tests, care, counseling, support, and essentials that carry them through their term and even into the postpartum period.
Officers were called to reports of vandalism and a fire at Longmont Life Choice Center (LLCC) overnight Saturday, according to KDVR Fox31 News in Denver. Black spray paint covered the premises, bearing statements like “bans off our bodies” and “if abortions aren’t safe neither are you.”
Kathy Roberts, LLCC executive director, told Fox31 she was saddened by the “attack on a place that is supposed to be safe for women, men, and their families.”
“What we hope the perpetrators of this act understand is that an attack on Life Choice is ultimately not an attack on a political party or act of; it is an attack on those who walk through our doors every day in need of diapers, pregnancy tests, limited ultrasounds, clothing, financial and parenting classes, support, and so much more,” she said.
Local investigators are asking for leads in the case.
In Lynchburg, the Blue Ridge Pregnancy Center (BRPC) fell victim to vandalism that caught the community’s attention on Saturday (June 25). Broken windows, spray paint, and the seal of Jane’s Revenge were found at the scene.
Statements such as “if abortion ain’t safe you ain’t safe” and “Jane’s Revenge” were plastered on the walls of and on the ground around the Blue Ridge pregnancy center.
Security cameras captured four masked individuals on the premises around 1:30am, according to WSET ABC13 News in Lynchburg. Local officials have requested that any information regarding the crime be reported immediately.
On June 25, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin released a statement on Twitter, saying, “There is no room for this in Virginia, breaking the law is unacceptable. This is not how we find common ground. Virginia State Police stands ready to support local law enforcement as they investigate.”
Susan Campbell, BRPC executive director, told WSET “what happened was heartbreaking.” All services offered by Blue Ridge are free so that more women are encouraged to seek out the care that they need.
Both Life Choice and Blue Ridge pregnancy centers offer post-abortion care and support as well as prenatal care.
On June 24, Pres. Biden called on those angered by the Supreme Court’s decision to avoid violence.
“I call on everyone, no matter how deeply they care about this decision, to keep all protests peaceful. Peaceful, peaceful, peaceful. No intimidation. Violence is never acceptable. Threats and intimidation are not speech. We must stand against violence in any form regardless of your rationale,” Biden said.
Brent Leatherwood, acting president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, said, “As we have long said, political violence of any kind is unacceptable, regardless of the context. Our nation resolves what differences we have through the ballot box and our democratic processes. The White House and the Department of Homeland Security were proven right to be on guard for these kinds of violent acts. Now the perpetrators need to be held accountable for these destructive acts and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Leatherwood says pregnancy support centers will feel the brunt of the responses against the recent Supreme Court rulings.
“In the post-Roe moment we are now in, these pro-life pregnancy clinics are even more so on the front lines of ministry to vulnerable women and families in crisis. We must continue praying for their endurance in this season and support them with our time and treasure, just as churches have always done.”
This article was written by Madison Burnette and Brandon Porter and was originally published by Baptist Press.