“So, so sad that there is so much hate and it is all based on a lie”
Abortion supporters have responded to the leaked draft Supreme Court majority opinion in the Dobbs case in with violence and/or destruction in different areas across the U.S., in some cases targeted pregnancy help organizations that provide life-affirming services and support to women and families in need.
Tragically, Austin, Texas, pregnancy help center Trotter House was attacked and vandalized on the evening of May 3.
Pro-abortion individuals graffitied derogatory comments, chanting pro-abortion slogans as they committed the vandalism. They dug up memorial bricks from the sidewalk and tossed them into the grass.
The perpetrators carried homemade signs, attempting to affix some on the Trotter House mailbox, front door, and other areas.
The Trotter house sign is gone and has yet to be found.
Abortion supporters posted information about Trotter House and other pregnancy help organizations on social media, videos of the attack in progress also surfaced, and some joked about it.
Some of the delinquent activity was captured on security camera footage.
“I was alerted by our security cameras of activity at our center,” said Trotter House founder and Executive Director Lori DeVillez. “When I looked at the footage my heart was broken.”
DeVillez told Pregnancy Help News that she called the police, but no one came.
She expressed dismay at the abortion proponents’ hate and misrepresentation of pregnancy help.
“So, so sad that there is so much hate and it is all based on a lie,” DeVillez said. “The things they graffitied on our property and chants they made are not even who we are.”
But despite the assault, the work of pregnancy help goes on as it always has, providing a real and compassionate source of support for women.
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News broke Monday of the leaked draft indicating that the Supreme Court had voted in deliberations for the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health case to overturn Roe v. Wade, igniting a firestorm over both the seeming decision to strike down Roe and the tremendous breach of trust for the court document to have been leaked.
“Roe was egregiously wrong from the start"
Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health has been highly anticipated for months as the first real threat to the Roe v. Wade decision. And the leaked draft, authored by Justice Samuel Alito, was "a full-throated, unflinching repudiation" of both the landmark 1973 Roe ruling and the subsequent 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey decision, according to the initial report from Politico, which had obtained the leaked draft.
“Roe was egregiously wrong from the start," Alito wrote in the majority opinion draft. "Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences. And far from bringing about a national settlement of the abortion issue, Roe and Casey have enflamed debate and deepened division.”
“We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled," Alito wrote. "It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.”
The draft opinion was circulated among the justices in February and represented an initial vote. The day following the draft document leak the Supreme Court said in a statement, with Chief Justice John Roberts saying that the work of the Court, “will not be affected in any way,” an apparent response to those who would act to intimidate justices who voted with the majority to change their vote.
Roberts ordered an investigation, commending the Court’s personnel and denouncing the leak, stating, “This was a singular and egregious breach of that trust that is an affront to the Court and the community of public servants who work here.”
"Roe and Casey must be overruled" … "It is time to heed the Constitution"
While no official decision in Dobbs has been released - and a complete overturn of Roe would not criminalize abortion, rather, it would send the issue back to the states - pro-abortion violence nonetheless ensued.
Pro-abortion protests broke out across the country, according to Fox News, and one in Los Angeles Tuesday turned violent as abortion supporters “lobbed "rocks and bottles" at Los Angeles police officers and appeared to smash a Department of Homeland Security cruiser’s window, sparking a citywide tactical alert.” At least one officer was injured.
There has been intermittent unrest at the Supreme Court since Monday evening, and on Wednesday night authorities had fences erected around the Court.
The Federalist reports that there have been various calls for violence on social media from abortion proponents unhappy with the draft document's contents.
An abortion supporter published addresses of Portland, Ore., pregnancy centers on May 2, and two days later Pregnancy Resource Center in Portland was attacked, with broken windows and expletives spray-painted on the exterior of the building.
On Wednesday, a group called Ruth Sent Us posted what it claims to be the home addresses of the Court’s six conservative justices, National Review reports, planning to send demonstrators to “the homes of the six extremist justices.”
DeVillez confirmed that Trotter House is examining how to augment its security in light of how some abortion supporters are responding to the potential Roe overturn.
“We are investigating tighter security systems and hiring security companies to have a physical security person on site when we are open,” she said. “In Austin when you call 911 no one comes!"
Pregnancy help advocates have served women since before the 1973 Roe decision legalized abortion throughout pregnancy in the U.S., and they will continue to do so regardless of the outcome of the Dobbs case.
Given that Trotter House performs pregnancy help, supporting women facing unplanned pregnancy with aid and services, DeVillez said it is unfortunate that it is being targeted by individuals who purport to defend the rights of women.
“It is very sad that this violent reaction was lashed out at us,” she said. “We are the ones helping women and sacrificing everything we have to help them.”
“We believe our work will be even more vital and we will serve even more in our community as a result”
In the face of the pro-abortion attack, DeVillez and her Trotter House colleagues remain undeterred. They will press on to continue helping those in need with life-affirming services and support.
“We were very sad to see all of the damage. We feel very violated,” DeVillez said. “It has also made us much more aware of our circumstances and determined to carry on!”
With the possibility for Roe v. Wade to be overturned, DeVillez told Pregnancy Help News that Trotter House’s work will be all the more crucial to the community.
“We believe our work will be even more vital and we will serve even more in our community as a result,” she said.
They have already seen this come to fruition with the increased media attention following the SCOTUS leak. The abortion apologists’ attempt at intimidation seems to have had a reverse affect, driving increased client traffic to the center.
“We have heard from more clients than ever who have had a prior abortion and seeing the news has triggered them to call for help!” DeVillez exclaimed.
She drew upon the “Onward” theme of the recent Heartbeat International Pregnancy Help Conference in describing Trotter House’s response to the attack, stating, “We must be determined to march onward and know the Lord fights our battles and because of Him we have already won!”
Editor's note: Heartbeat International, which manages Pregnancy Help News, filed an amicus brief in the Dobbs case. This article has been updated with additional reporting on pro-abortion violence.
