A Catholic Pregnancy Center in Chicago was vandalized shortly after the Democratic National Convention (DNC) ended last week, Catholic News Agency (CNA) reported. Reported.
Mary Fiorito, a spokesperson for Aid for Women, who has volunteered at the center for more than 20 years, told the outlet that the four suspects splashed red paint over the building's entrance and wrote graffiti such as “Fake Clinic” and “There are dead babies in Gaza.” The vandals also allegedly sealed off the center's doors with cement, forcing staff to cancel all appointments for Friday.
Fiorito told CNA that the incident happened in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood on the north side of the city at around 3 a.m. He said the incident was recorded on surveillance cameras and has been handed over to police and authorities. Authorities are investigating the vandalism as a violation of the Freedom of Access at Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.
Chicago police told Breitbart News on Tuesday that they had “no updates” on the case.
Aid for Women is a nonprofit organization “founded in the faith and teachings of the Catholic Church,” according to its website. According to the report, the church partners with the Archdiocese of Chicago and operates five pregnancy centers and two birthing clinics in the Chicago area, offering a range of services including ultrasounds, counseling, material assistance and abortion-reversal pills.
For the past 25 years, I have had the honor of volunteering and serving on the board of directors for Aid for Women, a nonprofit organization that operates maternity hospitals and pregnancy support services throughout Illinois.
Last night, vandals attacked one of AFW's locations in Chicago after the Democratic National Convention concluded. pic.twitter.com/yieCfi3XqE
— Mary H. Fiorito (@maryfiorito) August 23, 2024
Fiorito said she was “horrified” to see what happened to the center, noting that it is in an impoverished area.
“You're not hurting us, you're hurting these women,” she told the suspects.
“A lot of the women we help are not wealthy women,” she added. “Pregnancy is hard enough, so you don't need to have something like this piled on top of it to make life even harder.”
“If the people who did this were trying to hurt the pro-life movement or retaliate against the pro-life movement, Dobbs“The only people they really hurt when they do this are poor women,” she continued.
HEALTHCARE. ANYTIME. ANYWHERE. 💙 Ὡ We're always thinking about how to help you where you are.
We went on a road trip with our mobile clinic. #IntoAction2024 In Chicago, we provided nine vasectomy procedures, eight medication abortions, and an EC procedure free of charge. pic.twitter.com/r6AT27AzUK
— Planned Parenthood Great Rivers (@ppgreatrivers) August 22, 2024
The Democratic National Convention took place at the United Center in Chicago from August 19 to 22. The event highlighted the Democratic Party's pro-abortion platform and featured pro-life speakers who argued that killing the unborn through abortion makes women “unstoppable.”
Local Planned Parenthood organizations also operated mobile “wellness” clinics outside the convention site, offering free vasectomies and medication abortions. Great Rivers Planned Parenthood announced Thursday that it had performed nine vasectomies and eight medication abortions. It had previously estimated it would perform 25 free abortions.
