Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 10, 2022 / 14:51 pm
New video footage shows the four vandals who wrote “Janes revenge” on an archdiocesan pro-life pregnancy center in Hollywood, Florida, over Memorial Day weekend.
In the four separate video clips shared with CNA by the Archdiocese of Miami, four people in masks can be seen approaching the South Broward Pregnancy Help Center and spray-painting the wall of the clinic.
They then can be seen walking away from the scene. But before they leave the camera’s view, one of the vandals can be seen turning around to face the wall while holding up an object. It appears to be a cell phone camera. It’s unclear whether the person was taking a photo or not. They then left the scene.
Photos of the vandalism show the words “If abortions aren’t safe then niether [sic] are you,” and “Janes revenge.” Another non-legible phrase is also written in spray paint. You can watch the footage below.
Rebecca Brady, director of the archdiocese’s Respect Life ministry, told CNA in a statement Thursday that the vandalism occurred Saturday, May 28, shortly before midnight. The clinic’s cleaners discovered the vandalism the next day.
Brady said her husband volunteered to paint over the graffiti so clients and volunteers wouldn’t be scared.
“We believe the intention of this vandalism was to scare and intimidate us,” she said. Learning about the vandalism on St. Joan of Arc’s feast day, Brady said that the saint “teaches us bravery and courage, and we know Christ has won the ultimate victory for life.”
“Respect Life Ministry will not back down, we will continue extending the love and mercy of Christ to all regardless of creed,” she said. “We also now have the opportunity to learn [what] it means to love our enemies.”
Brady called for prayer for the perpetrators and safety for the volunteers in the clinics and on sidewalks. She also called for prayer for those wounded by abortion, so that they may have healing.
“And we pray that one day this will cease to be a source of contention because we will have come together as a society to support families in such a way that abortion becomes unthinkable,” she said.
The center is one of three in the city that is run by the Archdiocese of Miami.
The Florida clinic is one of many that has been vandalized in recent weeks. A steep rise in vandalism reports at pregnancy resource centers and churches began after a Supreme Court draft opinion was leaked showing that the justices were poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case that federally legalized abortion.
The court is expected to release the official opinion or decision in that case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, at the end of June or beginning of July.
On Friday, the pro-life group Heartbeat International put out an advisory that one in six clinics have experienced targeted harrassment, citing a recent survey. The goal of the advisory is to encourage pregnancy resource centers to take precautions in the wake of the violence, the group said.
The group, in partnership with Live Action, also announced a new reporting system for harassment of any centers.
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