Pro-life pregnancy centers in Alaska and Washington state defaced with pro-abortion graffiti

Boston, Mass., Jun 10, 2022 / 16:07 pm

Pro-life pregnancy centers in both Anchorage, Alaska and Vancouver, Washington were defaced with pro-abortion graffiti last week. 

Alaska Watchman, a conservative news website, reported that the Anchorage vandalism occurred June 2 around 1:30 a.m. at Community Pregnancy Center. A staff member reportedly found nails placed facing upwards in a crack in the clinic parking lot, in addition to the spray-painted graffiti. Glass in the clinic’s front door was also reportedly broken. 

Greg Monrad, executive director of the clinic, told Alaska Watchman that he believes the nails were placed there for someone to drive over or step on. Monrad said there is no reported history of “anything like this” occurring in the past.

The spray paint on the clinic said “we will not go back” in two places, the website reported. 

Monrad said that the clinic’s operations were not impeded by the attack. The graffiti was painted over after police arrived at the scene, and the door is currently being fixed, Alaskawatchman.com reported June 9.

Monrad said that he thinks the goal of the alleged vandalism was to intimidate the clinic. 

“We’re not going to let intimidation change what we’re doing,” Monrad said. “It failed. It was pretty unanimous from the volunteers and staff here, that this is not going to change how we do business here one bit at all. We may pray a little more than we already pray.”

A spokesperson for the clinic did not respond to CNA’s request for a comment by time of publication.

In Washington state, photos in a June 9 tweet by user alissa azar show the Options360 Women's Clinic in Vancouver covered in red paint and the words “Jane’s Revenge” across the wall with graffiti.

Pam Marchand, CEO and president of the clinic, told CNA on Friday that the damage was discovered on Thursday morning. She said it is unclear whether the damage occurred in the evening of June 8 or early in the morning June 9.

A police report was filed, she said, and did not report any other damage done to the clinic. She said that the red paint has been cleaned off and operations are up and running as of Friday, and she declined to comment on who the culprits might be and their motivations. 

The reported damage to the Anchorage and Vancouver clinics comes during a string of pro-abortion attacks to clinics across the nation. Reports of vandalism took an abrupt rise 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.

Since the leak, pro-life pregnancy centers in Florida, Washington D.C., Washington state, Maryland, Wisconsin, Oregon, and Texas have been vandalized. Catholic church buildings in several states also have suffered pro-abortion vandalism.

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.