Wisconsin Anti-Abortion Office Targeted In Suspected Arson Attack, Officials Say

Topline

An anti-abortion nonprofit based in Madison, Wisconsin, was set alight by a suspected arsonist Sunday morning, police said, in an incident reflecting the heated tone of debate as the Supreme Court appears poised to reverse Roe v. Wade.

Key Facts

Flames were spotted coming from an office building that hosts the anti-abortion group Wisconsin Family Action around 6 a.m. on Sunday, and were quickly extinguished by firefighters with no reported injuries, the Madison police and fire officials said.

A molotov cocktail was thrown inside the building but did not catch fire, so the arsonist appeared to start a second fire, the Madison Police Department announced.

Spray-painted graffiti found on an outside wall Sunday read, “If abortions aren’t safe then you aren’t either,” the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

Gov. Tony Evers (D), a vocal supporter of abortion rights, condemned the attack and said in a statement the push to overturn Roe v. Wade should be met with “empathy and compassion.”

What To Watch For

Madison police said they will issue an update on the case Monday.

Crucial Quote

“You know, you can disagree with me,” Wisconsin Family Action President Julaine Appling told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “And I don’t mind being disagreed with. But to threaten the safety of my team because we have a different opinion on an issue—an important issue, I’ll grant you that. That doesn’t give you credence to threaten my life, and then turn around and damage property.”

Key Background

On Monday, Politico published a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that, if finalized, would overturn the court’s 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade, which found that a woman’s right to choose to have an abortion is protected under the Constitution. In response, pro-abortion-rights protesters picketed the houses of conservative Justices Brett Kavanaugh and John Roberts, while anti-abortion activists and some Republican legislators began drawing up plans for a possible national abortion ban. Should the court decide to repeal Roe v. Wade by the time the current session ends in July, 13 states have “trigger laws” that would immediately institute total or near-total abortion bans. Sixty-one percent of U.S. adults believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to a March survey by Pew Research Center.

Further Reading

“Supreme Court May Soon Overturn Roe V. Wade—Here Are The States With Abortion Protections If It Does” (Forbes)