WASHINGTON — After the online news site Politico published a report late May 2 from a leaked draft opinion signaling that the majority of Supreme Court justices seem set to overturn Roe v. Wade, the decision legalizing abortion, those opposed to having it overturned have taken to the streets to protest. But vandalism showing discontent with the potential ruling also seems to be on the rise.
The New York Times reported May 7 that part of the wall of the headquarters of Wisconsin Family Action, in Madison, was set on fire, leaving behind graffiti that read: “If abortions aren’t safe then you aren’t either.”
Madison Bishop Donald J. Hying, in a May 9 statement, called the vandalism, “a brazen act of violence, which all citizens should condemn, as an attack on the respect and concern we owe to each other in seeking the common good.”
In Manassas, vandals defaced First Care Women’s Health over Mother’s Day weekend, NationalReview.com reported May 9. The facility provides free services such as ultrasounds and pregnancy tests. It is affiliated with Life First ministry, an Evangelical Christian pro-life group.
Officials from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ religious liberty office said they documented nine similar incidents on the weekend after the leak, stretching from New York to Los Angeles.
Most were disruptions or destruction of property such as the one reported by The Denver Channel in Colorado, an ABC affiliate, where Sacred Heart of Mary Church staff, in Boulder, removed graffiti, paint and broken glass over Mother’s Day weekend.
Though the leaked draft is not final, Chief Justice Roberts confirmed its authenticity and has called for an investigation. The draft, according to the Politico report, shows five justices’ alignment against Roe v. Wade — enough to overturn it. The court’s final decision could be announced in the next two months.
Authorities in Washington have erected tall and difficult-to-scale fencing around the Supreme Court, where some punches have been thrown and tensions grow among those who disagree.
