Graffiti including the words “Abort America” and “Jesus loves Abortion,” along with two broken windows in the backdoor greeted volunteers at a Birthright crisis pregnancy center in St. Paul July 5.
Vandalism at the nonprofit center followed similar defacement and broken windows June 14 at Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life offices in Minneapolis. “Abortion is Liberation” was written in red paint. MCCL spokesman Paul Stark said the police were notified, and an abortion rights group called “Janes Revenge” claimed responsibility in a posting online.
At Birthright, the graffiti also included the words, “Janes Revenge,” which has claimed responsibility for several acts of vandalism of pro-life centers across the country since a leaked draft opinion in May from the U.S. Supreme Court indicated the court would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade. That 1973 decision made abortion legal across the nation. On June 24, the high court’s final decision removed constitutional protections for abortion. Since the decision, about two dozen states have moved to ban or severely restrict abortions. Abortion remains legal in Minnesota.
“We’re praying for the people that did this,” said Karen McCann, volunteer coordinator at Birthright. “It makes me sad that people would feel so angry toward a center that is doing good.”
Volunteers at the nonprofit center called the police and cleaned up the glass. Over the last five years, the location has been vandalized about seven times, McCann said.
Birthright offers pregnancy tests, maternity and baby items and nonmedical information about pregnancy, childbirth, adoption, prenatal care, community programs, parenting skills and child care. It makes referrals for medical support, financial, housing, legal, counseling and other resources.
The center tries to help people make positive choices in their pregnancy. It doesn’t make referrals for abortion, McCann said. “That would be against our charter,” she said.
