Fire at Wisconsin anti-abortion office investigated as arson
Litigation Reports
failed to ignite, authorities said.
Flames were seen coming from Wisconsin Family Action’s office shortly after 6 a.m. Sunday, and the fire was being investigated as arson. It wasn’t immediately clear who vandalized the building, but the message “If abortions aren’t safe then you aren’t either” was spray-painted on the exterior.
“It appears a specific nonprofit that supports anti-abortion measures was targeted,” Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said in a statement. Police planned a Monday afternoon news conference to provide an update on the investigation.
The vandalism came days after the leak of a draft opinion suggested the U.S. Supreme Court was on course to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion. The leak spurred immediate demonstrations, including weekend protests by abortion rights supporters outside the homes of conservative justices, with more planned this week.
The president of the lobbying group, Julaine Appling, said she considers the fire a “direct threat against us.” She said people could have been hurt if they had been working in the office at the time.
“This is the local manifestation of the anger and the lack of tolerance from the pro-abortion people toward those of us who are pro-life,” Appling told the Wisconsin State Journal.
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