By Joe Bukuras
Boston, Mass., Mar 20, 2023 / 12:35 pm
A New York pro-life pregnancy center that was seriously damaged in an arson attack in June 2022 was vandalized again Thursday with pro-abortion graffiti.
The destruction of property at CompassCare Pregnancy Services in Amherst, New York, is the latest in a wave of attacks against pro-life pregnancy centers across the country, which began after a May 2022 leak from the Supreme Court indicating that the justices were poised to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Roe, the 1973 landmark case that legalized abortion nationwide, was overturned that June.
There have only been two reported arrests in the more than 60 acts of vandalism on pro-life pregnancy centers across the country. Amid heavy criticism from the pro-life community, the FBI announced in January a reward of up to $25,000 for any information leading to the arrest of the arsonists of CompassCare.
The word “liars” was spray-painted in red capital letters across the center’s sign at its 1230 Eggert Rd., Amherst, location.
Jim Harden, CEO of CompassCare, told CNA Monday that the graffiti is “consistent with Jane’s Revenge rhetoric.”
“Jane’s Revenge” became a calling card of sorts for dozens of pro-abortion vandals after the May leak from the Supreme Court.
Harden told CNA the suspect was caught on tape vandalizing the clinic. He said he presented the information collected to the FBI and local police.
The sign was taken down and will cost about $2,000 to repair, he said.
The FBI has released a video of the June 2022 attack on the upstate New York pro-life pregnancy center, CompassCare. A $25,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the vandals. Credit: FBI Buffalo Office pic.twitter.com/1PDXobalAR
— Catholic News Agency (@cnalive) November 14, 2022
“This is a very dangerous moment in the history of our country,” Harden said, referring to the vandalism of centers across the country. He accused the Biden administration of weaponizing the federal government against its political opponents by failing to hold the vandals accountable.
“Why is the FBI not saying that it’s Jane’s Revenge or Antifa? Why is the FBI not engaging in any kind of manhunt?”
“The FBI needs to be defunded, dismantled, and rebuilt,” he said.
Harden has employed private investigators to track down those who committed the act of arson last May.
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He said that the solution to attacks on pro-life pregnancy centers and the weaponization of the government is for the media to cover it and for the “average citizen” to “be vigilant.”
“It’s been said that the only freedoms that we don’t have are the ones that we give up. And quite frankly, we’re giving up a lot of freedoms when we say nothing and do nothing,” he said.
“We have to keep standing strong, and not just for our rights. My personal rights are secondary to my duty to protect the rights of my fellow man. That’s exactly why pregnancy centers exist in the first place.”
