Pro-abortion groups have engaged in violent demonstrations as tensions rise in the U.S. following the Supreme Court’s decision to allow individual states to make their own abortion laws.
Since the Supreme Court leak in May, violence from pro-abortion extremists has increased dramatically in the United States. In addition to the vandalism and arson attacks, protests outside of the private homes of the Justices, and an apparent assassination attempt against Justice Brett Kavanaugh, security measures have been heightened around the Justices and their families, as well as the Supreme Court building itself.
Justices Alito, Roberts, Kavanaugh and, most recently, Barrett, have all been subject to protests outside of their family homes. Members of the ‘Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights’ campaign rallied outside Barrett’s home with their hands and mouths taped, wearing blood-stained trousers and carrying dolls.
Pro-abortion violence
Protests have erupted in Washington D.C. and across the country with numerous pro-life pregnancy resource centres being subjected to graffiti, vandalism and on a number of occasions, arson.
On 10 May, the pro-abortion group, Jane’s Revenge, published a communique demanding the “disbanding of all anti-choice establishments, fake clinics, and violent anti-choice groups within the next thirty days”. The group threatened violence if the demand was not met.
The group claimed responsibility for throwing Molotov cocktails into the Wisconsin Family Center, in Madison, on 8 May, causing severe fire damage. A Christian pregnancy centre in Buffalo, New York was firebombed on 7 June. The message ‘Jane was here,’ was scrawled across the building’s exterior.
On 14 June, the group published a follow-up letter, claiming responsibility for attacks in Madison, Wisconsin; Ft. Collins, Colorado; Des Moines, Iowa; Hollywood, Florida; Denton, Texas; and Washington, D.C.; Portland, Eugene and Gresham in Oregon, along with Olympia, Lynwood and Vancouver in Washington state, and Reisterstown and Frederick in Maryland.
The group stated:
“We have demonstrated in the past month how easy and fun it is to attack… We promised to take increasingly drastic measures against oppressive infrastructures. Rest assured that we will, and those measures may not come in the form of something so easily cleaned up as fire and graffiti”.
The FBI has since announced that it would be investigating these acts of vandalism and arson as acts of terrorism. In a statement, they said: “The FBI is investigating a series of attacks and threats targeting pregnancy resource centers and faith-based organizations across the country”.
“The FBI takes all threats seriously and we continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners and will remain vigilant to protect our communities”.
Earlier this month, a man, Nicholas Roske, was arrested outside the home of Justice Kavanaugh with a handgun, ammunition, a crowbar and pepper spray. He has been charged with attempted murder. Roske said he had come from California to kill “a specific United States Supreme Court Justice”.
What are the implications of the Supreme Court’s decision?
The decision to overturn Roe v Wade will return the matter of abortion legislation to individual states.This will not introduce a total ban on abortion throughout the United States, instead, individual states will decide on their own abortion legislation.
In practice, this will likely result in liberal States, such as New York, having very permissive abortion laws, and a number of conservative States having abortion laws that will include full protections for unborn children.
According to pro-abortion think tank Guttmacher Institute, 16 states and the District of Columbia have laws that explicitly protect the “right” to abortion to varying degrees, meaning abortion will likely continue to be available in these states.
The pro-abortion think tank, which was previously the research arm of abortion provider Planned Parenthood, also indicates that 26 states are “certain or likely” to introduce restrictions that would protect unborn children from abortion.
Right To Life UK spokesperson, Catherine Robinson, said: “This political violence and intimidation is appalling. Why the FBI has taken so long to act is unclear, and the lack of coverage of the apparent attempted assassination of a Supreme Court Judge from much of the media is shameful”.
“Political violence is unacceptable, but it shows what we already knew – abortion advocates have no real arguments for their position so they must resort to screaming, shouting and violence. Perhaps, though, this is perfectly in keeping with the violence of abortion”.
