Activists firebomb pro-life pregnancy center in Buffalo; 2 firefighters admitted to hospital
A pro-life pregnancy center in upstate New York was firebombed Tuesday morning, making it the latest pro-life organization to experience vandalism ahead of a major U.S. Supreme Court decision on abortion.
CompassCare, a group of pro-life pregnancy centers committed to "serving women in Buffalo and across NY State" and "erasing the need for abortion," announced Tuesday that its Buffalo office was "firebombed by abortion terrorists."
According to the statement, police and firefighters responded in the early morning to a report of smoke at the office on Eggert Road.
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"The windows in the reception room and nurses' office were broken and fires lit. Graffiti on the building left by arsonists refers to the abortion terrorist group Jane's Revenge, reading 'Jane Was Here.'"
As the statement explained, Jane's Revenge took responsibility for a similar act of vandalism at a pro-life pregnancy center in Wisconsin.
Following the attack on the Wisconsin Family Action office in Madison, the group released a manifesto demanding "the disbanding of anti-choice establishments, fake clinics, and violent anti-choice groups within the next thirty days."
"Wisconsin is the first flashpoint, but we are all over the US, and we will issue no further warnings," the manifesto reads. "And we will not stop, we will not back down, nor will we hesitate to strike until the inalienable right to manage our own health is returned to us."
In subsequent weeks, the group has claimed responsibility for other acts of violence.
In a statement, CompassCare CEO Jim Harden described the violence as "the pro-abortion 'Kristallnacht.'"
"[B]ecause of this act of violence, the needs of women facing unplanned pregnancy will go unmet and babies will die," Harden said. "CompassCare will rebuild because women deserve better."
He vowed that "CompassCare will not stop serving because pre-born boys and girls deserve better." The clinic offers confidential abortion information, pregnancy diagnosis and STD testing and treatment.
CompassCare alerted the local police and FBI. According to reports, local Amherst police, the district attorney and the FBI are investigating the possible arson.
Town of Amherst Supervisor Brian Kulpa said in a statement shared with media that two volunteer firefighters "were admitted to the hospital after they were overcome while battling a suspected arson fire." According to police, the firefighters were treated for minor injuries.
"With reports that this fire was set intentionally, I am disgusted that lives were put at risk," Kulpa said, according to WKBW. "Our thoughts are with the firefighters as they recover. A violent response is never the answer. There is no place in Amherst for such attacks. Amherst Police are working with our partners to continue its investigation to hold those responsible accountable for their actions."
Harden said CompassCare has consulted with security professionals for a safety plan "and engaged a security firm who were expediting the installation of armored glass for the Buffalo office."
Harden elaborated on the organization's next steps in a video Tuesday, reporting that the vandalism caused "extensive damage that's going to take months to repair."
"They broke glass in the middle of the night, under cover of darkness, to keep us from doing the work of the Lord, from being the light of the world," he said. "We offer absolutely necessary services, ethical medical care and comprehensive community support to women seriously considering abortion and they're trying to keep us from doing that."
Harden said that organization would operate out of a new facility starting Wednesday.
"We're looking at a more medium-range facility to house our services short-term while this facility gets repaired," he said.
The vandalism at CompassCare comes just over a month after Politico published a leaked draft opinion in the Supreme Court case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health. The draft opinion, which is not final, indicated that a majority of justices were inclined to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide.
Should the Supreme Court overturn Roe as expected, abortion would not automatically become illegal in all 50 states. Instead, states would decide the legality of abortion.
In the absence of Roe, 21 states would either completely ban or restrict abortion more severely than they do now. Sixteen states that have codified the right to abortion into law would continue to allow abortion late into a pregnancy or up until the moment of birth. Ten states would likely continue enforcing their current abortion restrictions, while the three remaining states may soon put the future of their abortion laws in the hands of voters in the form of ballot referendums.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: [email protected]
