Molotov cocktail thrown at pro-life pregnancy center in ‘act of terrorism’
A Tennessee pregnancy center was targeted with a Molotov cocktail and graffiti on Thursday in what the state’s governor has declared an act of ‘terrorism.’
The Hope Clinic for Women, a pro-life resource center, was targeted early Thursday morning in what investigators say is the first act of vandalism to hit Nashville following the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade.
Police responded to a burglar alarm at the clinic around 1.38am, where they found a Molotov cocktail had been thrown through a first-floor window, but did not ignite.
A message reading ‘Jane’s Revenge’ was spray painted across the side of the building, police said.
‘Janes Revenge’ is an abortion rights group that has taken responsibility for over a dozen recent acts of firebombing and vandalism at pregnancy centers following the leak of the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Roe.
Tennessee’s Governor Bill Lee, a Republican who is one of the founders of the clinic, denounced the attempted arson and called it terrorism.
‘This is terrorism and should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Stand with us in supporting clinics like Hope Clinic who provide critical resources to Tennessee families,’ he wrote on Twitter.
Meanwhile, some abortion activists have taken issue with the governor’s response, as Lee did not share the same sentiment when a Planned Parenthood clinic in Knoxville was set on fire in December.
‘When a right-wing terrorist burned a Knoxville health center to the ground, Bill Lee was silent,’ said Francie Hunt, the executive director of Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parenthood, in a statement.
‘The hypocrisy is plain for all to see. The terrorists in Knoxville who burned down our health center are out there evading the law, and listening to our governor today knowing they have his full support,’ Hunt added.
According to police, the incident is the first act of vandalism in Nashville following the Supreme Court’s recent decision on abortion.
The Hope Clinic, a faith-based center, says on their website the clinic was founded with the hope to reach ‘primarily the abortion-minded and also the likely-to-carry young woman prior to going to an abortion clinic.’
Hope Clinic for Women CEO Kailey Cornett said in a statement they were grateful no one was injured as a result, and that the clinic would remain open.
The incident is being investigated by both local and federal authorities, including the FBI.
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