A pro-life pregnancy center in Hollywood, Florida, was defaced with pro-abortion graffiti over Memorial Day Weekend 2022. / Courtesy of Dr. Grazie Pozo Christie
St. Louis, Mo., Jun 15, 2022 / 14:24 pm (CNA).
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Beginning in early May, vandalism attacks — such as graffiti, property damage, threats, and theft — against pro-life pregnancy centers, maternity homes, and other pro-life organizations have been reported across the country.
Abortion supporters and groups have long criticized the Catholic Church’s teaching that abortion kills an unborn human person with inherent dignity and worth. Though a rise in vandalism and intimidation of Catholic and pro-life organizations has been documented since at least 2020, the current spate of attacks has been spurred on by the seemingly imminent overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme court, a legal move which, if it occurs, would return the question of abortion policy to the states, leading to abortion bans in many parts of the country.
Some of the reported vandalism incidents appear to be copycat attacks. For example, several of the graffiti incidents featured the threatening phrase “If abortions aren’t safe, neither are you,” which seems to have first appeared on a pro-life pregnancy center in Wisconsin in early May. The U.S. bishops have tracked 139 church attacks since 2020, and are pleading for an end to the violence.
The interactive map above shows notable attacks in the United States that have been reported in the past two months. The map includes attacks on pro-life pregnancy centers and organizations, as well as attacks on Catholic churches that were related to the Church’s pro-life stance. Click on the individual dots to get details about each incident. This map will be continuously updated, so check back often.