FBI’s Response to Attacks on Pregnancy Clinics Undergoes Scrutiny

Dozens of attacks on churches, pregnancy crisis centers, and pro-life groups around the nation have drawn an FBI investigation and questions from lawmakers about whether the Biden administration is doing enough to stop them.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) sent a letter to FBI Director Chris Wray this week calling for a briefing on the issue and urging Wray to ensure these “violent attacks are recognized by the FBI and are being properly investigated for what they are—cases of abortion-related violent extremism.

“There have been at least 40 violent attacks on crisis pregnancy centers, religious institutions, and other pro-life entities since the Dobbs leak and before the Court even issued its final opinion,” Grassley wrote. “This violence continues to cause injury, damage to property, and interruption of constitutionally protected worship services all across the nation. In fact, it substantially accelerated last weekend, after the opinion was issued.

“Current threats from abortion extremists are impending, serious, and dangerous,” he added.

Ranking member Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) speaks during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on voting rights on Capitol Hill in Washington on April 20, 2021. (Bill Clark/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Pro-life groups say they fear the attacks will escalate into worse violence. They argued the media has given little attention to the attacks, which took off after the controversial leak of an early draft of the Supreme Court opinion that overturned Roe v. Wade weeks before the official decision was released.

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health that there is no constitutional right to an abortion and that the states have the right to decide their own respective abortion policies.

“I applaud Sen. Grassley for his efforts to protect pro-life pregnancy centers, churches, and other institutions,” said Eric Scheidler, executive director for the Pro-Life Action

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