Reproductive-Rights Radicals Claim Responsibility For Arson Attack On Wisconsin Anti-Abortion Office

Topline

An abortion-rights group calling itself “Jane’s Revenge” claimed responsibility for Sunday’s arson attack on the offices of the anti-abortion nonprofit Wisconsin Family Action, and threatened more attacks if all “anti-choice” groups weren’t quickly shut down.

Key Facts

In a message shared with and posted to Twitter by Bellingcat investigative journalist Robert Evans, the group said it would not hesitate to strike again if all “anti-choice” organizations and “fake clinics” weren’t dissolved within 30 days.

The group claimed to have members “all over the U.S.,” and accused anti-abortion groups of bombing clinics and killing doctors “with impunity.”

The name “Jane’s Revenge” is an apparent reference to the Jane Collective, a Chicago-based group that operated during the 1960s and 1970s, helping women obtain abortions.

Evans tweeted that he was not directly in touch with purported members of Jane’s Revenge, but that the unnamed source of the message “has a reputation for extreme reliability.”

Local police announced Tuesday via Twitter that they were aware that a group had claimed responsibility for the attack and were working with federal partners to investigate the validity of the claim.

A Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms spokesperson said the agency was aware that a group had claimed responsibility for the arson, but was unable to disclose additional details because investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Surprising Fact

The message from Jane’s Revenge included no direct references to the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that would overturn the court’s 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade that a woman’s right to choose to have an abortion is protected under the Constitution.

Key Background

A fire at Wisconsin Family Action’s office in Madison was quickly extinguished with no reported injuries Sunday morning, Madison fire officials said. A molotov cocktail was thrown inside the building during the attack but did not catch fire, apparently prompting the arsonist to start a second fire, officials said. A message spray-painted on an outside wall nearby read, “If abortions aren’t safe then you aren’t either,” the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. Some supporters of abortion rights quickly condemned the attack, including Gov. Tony Evers (D), who said that attempts to limit abortion rights should be met with “empathy and compassion.” Though Wisconsin does not have a “trigger law” tailored to ban abortion in the event that Roe v. Wade is overturned, there is a 19th-century law state law that could be used to ban abortion in the state.

Contra

There is no direct evidence that a nationwide group called “Jane’s Revenge” exists or that such a group was responsible for the Wisconsin arson attack.

Further Reading

“Wisconsin Anti-Abortion Office Targeted In Suspected Arson Attack, Officials Say” (Forbes)