CHICAGO (LifeSiteNews) — Law enforcement is investigating the vandalism of a pro-life pregnancy center in Chicago, Illinois.
Someone spray painted “Fake clinic the dead babies are in Gaza” on front of the Aid for Women clinic in the Edgewater neighborhood on the city’s north side.
The four vandals forced the closure of the Edgewater clinic by “cement[ing]the center’s doors shut,” according to Catholic News Agency.
The vandalism occurred last Friday. Executive Director Susan Barrett told LifeSiteNews on Thursday afternoon that Aid for Women is still waiting to hear about possible suspects. She said the clinic was able to open on Monday. It operates both clinics and maternity homes throughout Chicago and the surrounding suburbs.
Board member Mary FioRito, who is also a fellow with the Ethics and Public Policy Center, posted the images on X (formerly Twitter) and said law enforcement is investigating the vandalism as a possible Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act violation.
“Law enforcement is taking this incident seriously and have been very supportive,” she wrote on X.
Aid for Women asked for prayers in an email to its supporters.
“While this event has caused damage and disruption, we are immensely grateful to God that our staff and everyone who visits our Edgewater location are safe,” an email stated.
“During this challenging time, we kindly ask for your support and prayers,” the email continued. “Your thoughts and encouragement mean the world to us as we work to restore our clinic and continue serving our community with the care and dedication you have come to rely on.”
For the past 25 years, it’s been my privilege to be a volunteer and board member at Aid for Women, a nonprofit that runs maternity homes and pregnancy services throughout Illinois.
Last night, after the closing of the DNC, vandals attacked one of AFW’s Chicago locations. pic.twitter.com/yieCfi3XqE
— Mary H. FioRito (@maryfiorito) August 23, 2024
The police have the footage, according to comments FioRito gave Catholic News Agency.
She has pointed out that the vandals mainly hurt poorer women who come to the free clinic.
“If the goon squad think they’re hurting pro-lifers – the ONLY people they are hurting are women, mostly working class or poor, who are already facing immense hurdles in their lives,” she wrote on X. “Like our client Gina, who was sleeping in the forest preserves at night,” she wrote, with a link to a video.
Pro-life commentators were quick to condemn the violence.
“When we go high, they go low,” Loyola University law Professor John Breen wrote in response to FioRito. “So much ‘joy’ in vandalizing a place that provides substantial assistance to [vulnerable] women and their children,” he said, in possible allusion to Kamala Harris’ campaign theme.
The vandalism happened soon after the Democratic National Convention, held in Chicago, closed. It was not immediately clear if there was a connection between the convention and the violence.
Catholic University of America Professor Michael New expressed doubt that the vandalism will be taken seriously.
“According to CatholicVote.org, there have been 92 attacks on pro-life groups and pregnancy help centers since the leak of the Dobbs decision in May 2022,” the pro-life scholar wrote in National Review. “The FACE Act, signed into law by President Clinton in 1994, was supposed to protect churches and pro-life pregnancy centers. However, a vast majority of those prosecuted under the FACE Act have been pro-lifers engaging in civil disobedience.”
As reported by LifeSiteNews, President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice has aggressively prosecuted peaceful pro-lifers with the FACE Act. In one instance, it conducted an early morning armed raid on the home of Pennsylvania dad Mark Houck. The DOJ had to find an old state charge that had already been tossed out in order to prosecute Houck. That charge also fell through.
“Given that the Department of Justice under the Biden administration has largely turned a blind eye to previous attacks on pro-life pregnancy centers, it is unlikely that it will make this most recent act of vandalism a priority,” New said.
Editor’s note: The author has donated to Aid for Women in the past.