Problem Pregnancy and Clearway Clinic were vandalized in the early morning of Thursday, July 7.
The incidents were not isolated. There have been at least 35 targeted attacks made against crisis pregnancy centers this year, several being violent. Several of them, including the ones in Worcester, were done in the name of Jane’s Revenge, a pro-abortion, anti-crisis-pregnancy-center group. The first such incident claimed by this group occurred in Maddison, Wisconsin. The crisis pregnancy center there was firebombed.
NewBostonPost contacted the other 27 crisis pregnancy centers regarding the two that were attacked, seeking to know if they were taking any steps in response.
Diane O’Toole, the executive director for Boston Center for Pregnancy Choices, said by email she is “shocked” and “saddened” that “anyone would want to attack pregnancy resource centers which offer free services to the community, a safe space to process options for women and men who have unplanned pregnancies and support services regardless of the choice that is made regarding keeping the baby, having an abortion, or having the baby and putting the baby up for adoption.”
O’Toole said that her center in Boston has taken several security steps in response to the attacks in Worcester, including installing security cameras and panic buttons for the staff members. One member of the staff carries pepper spray.
One threat has been made against the crisis pregnancy center, according to O’Toole, by email. She provided the text of the email message to NewBostonPost. It states:
I’m so happy for all the work that your organization does. Please let everyone know how much I’d love for you to trip into a sewer grate of s— and starve in a long and painful death, you worthless rats. it’s sick and embarrassing to share a country with you. I can’t wait for the day when your heart beats for the last time. Kill yourself! we’ll all be better off
The executive director for Abundant Hope Pregnancy Resource Center in Attleboro, Darlene Howard, reached by email, said that “we were disturbed and saddened to learn of the vandalism unleashed on the two pregnancy centers in Worcester this week. We have reached out to learn if there is anything we can do to help them serve their community while they undergo repairs.”
Howard called on Massachusetts state officials to “publicly condemn domestic terrorist attacks against all pregnancy centers in the Commonwealth.”
Howard said that her crisis pregnancy center has not received any direct threats. Even so, she said, “Abundant Hope has taken these actions seriously and have implemented additional security measures. Violence against pregnancy centers harms the women, babies, and families that rely on us for help in times of need.”
Kelly Wilcox, the executive director for Clearway Clinic, which has branches in Worcester (one of the crisis pregnancy centers that was attacked) and Springfield, responded to a request for comment by NewBostonPost by email late last week.
Wilcox said that her organization is taking several steps to increase security. No specific threats have been made against the organization, according to Wilcox.
Two other crisis pregnancy centers were confirmed to be reached but did not provide comment. Birthright International, which has five crisis pregnancy centers in Massachusetts, responded by email to say the organization has no comment on the current situation.
New to NewBostonPost? Conservative media is hard to find in Massachusetts. But you’ve found it. Now dip your toe in the water for two bucks — $2 for two months. And join the real revolution.
Photo courtesy of Clearway Clinic 
