In response to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade in late June, there have been a wave of attacks on pro-life centers and pro-life churches, including the firebombing of some of these buildings.
Already in July, it was reported that, “At least 76 churches and pro-life organizations have been targets of arson and vandalism since May when news leaked that the U.S. Supreme Court would overturn Roe v. Wade.” According to the Catholic News Agency’s tracker, that number has now risen to 94.
Yet to this day, despite FBI involvement in the investigations, not a single arrest has been made. Doesn’t this seem odd?
We’re talking about attacks on as many as 50 pregnancy centers and 32 churches, along with scattered attacks on other targets. These have taken place in multiple states and have ranged from spraying graffiti on walls to firebombing buildings and from smashing windows to defacing billboards. Specific groups, like Jane’s Revenge, have taken responsibility for some these attacks. And yet still no arrests?
Are the attackers that skilled in clandestine activities? Are there no viable leads to trace? Are they that invisible?
These are fair questions to raise.
A June 8 headline on The Federalist asked, “Will The FBI Do Anything About The Alarming Number Of Attacks On Pro-Life Centers Following SCOTUS Leak?”
The answer came a few days later. As reported by the Washington Times on June 17, “The FBI is investigating a series of attacks and threats targeting pregnancy resource centers and faith-based organizations across the country. The FBI takes all threats seriously and we continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners and will remain vigilant to protect our communities.”
And yet still, three months later, no arrests have been made. Does this seem suspicious?
According to Jim Harden, the CEO of a pregnancy center in Buffalo, NY, that was firebombed on June 7, it seems suspicious indeed.
As summarized by the National Review on August 8, based on information from Harden, the FBI seemed to be dragging its feet.
“The FBI did not conduct a forensic analysis of CompassCare’s extensive video surveillance footage until July 13th, five weeks after the attack, the center reported. Amherst Police waited until an August 1 press conference, the day of Compass Care Buffalo’s re-opening ceremony, to release a statement on the investigation, although it updated that ‘there have already been multiple leads examined and we are continuing to follow up with those at this time.’”
Yet none of those leads have led to an arrest, nor is Harden satisfied that every rock is being turned over. He reiterated this while on my “Line of Fire” broadcast in August, and, as of this writing in September, there still have been no arrests made.
Is the FBI, then, dragging its feet? Or could it be that these are just tough cases to crack?
Once again, Harden is suspicious.
Speaking of a Planned Parenthood building in New York, he noted that, “somebody played a trick on them and put a chain and a lock around their fence, and they captured a person immediately. They arrested them and bemoaned the fact that somebody vandalized their facility. Meanwhile, we’ve got arson attacks all over the country, and we’ve got no arrests. That doesn’t make any sense to me. It’s like somebody puts on a hoodie and a mask, and all of a sudden they go invisible to the law enforcement.”
To give another case in point, there was a firebombing of a pregnancy center on May 8 in Madison, Wisconsin, one of the first acts of violence after the leak regarding overturning Roe. But today, more than four months later, there are still no arrests.
Once again, in stark contrast, “a multi-agency, federal manhunt ensued immediately after an isolated attack on a Planned Parenthood in Kalamazoo, MI. Arresting a man in just four days, the FBI proved that they have both the skill and staff to identify a suspect and make an arrest quickly.”
Why, then, have the combined forces of our local and national governments been so inept in tracking down the criminals who have gone on this violent, pro-abortion spree? Why have none of these domestic terrorists been prosecuted?
I’m glad that the man who attacked the Planned Parenthood clinic in Kalamazoo was identified and arrested, as much as I deplore what is done inside those clinics.
But it is not up to us to take the law into our own hands, and it’s good that he was tracked down so quickly.
The obvious question is why and how these same law enforcement organizations seem so incredibly inept – even uninterested – in tracking down the criminals who have terrorized scores of pro-life centers and churches. Is there a double standard involved? Are abortion clinics still treated like sacred sites, worthy of the utmost protection and care, while those clinics (and churches) which stand for life are deemed unworthy of the same protection and care?
That would be the ultimate double standard – where those who take life are protected and those who protect life are unprotected.
We obviously have more questions than answers right now, leaving us only to hope and pray that truth will come to light quickly, that justice will be done, and that the life of the unborn will be valued again in our nation.
Dr. Michael Brown (www.askdrbrown.org) is the host of the nationally syndicated Line of Fire radio program. He holds a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Literatures from New York University and has served as a professor at a number of seminaries and is the author of 40 books. Connect with him on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.