Worcester Crisis Pregnancy Centers Vandalized: Reports

Worcester MA

07 July, 2022

12:45 PM

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WORCESTER, MA — Two crisis pregnancy centers in Worcester were found damaged by vandalism Thursday morning, with graffiti left behind indicating an abortion rights movement may be responsible. The Problem Pregnancy clinic, 495 Pleasant St., and Clearway Clinic, 358 Shrewsbury St., were splattered with paint and had windows broken sometime between Wednesday night and Thursday morning, according to WCVB. Outside Problem Pregnancy — which is across from the Worcester Planned Parenthood clinic — the phrase "Jane's revenge" was written in paint along the sidewalk, according to reports. That phrase has been left at vandalism incidents across the nation targeting crisis pregnancy centers and politicians. Neither clinic offers abortion services. Instead, the centers, which rank high in Google search results, offer free services like pregnancy tests, STD testing and ultrasounds. Both clinics were closed Thursday. Attorney General Maura Healey recently issued a warning to state residents about the clinics, which she called "misleading." "While crisis pregnancy centers claim to offer reproductive healthcare services, their goal is to prevent people from accessing abortion and contraception," she said in a statement Wednesday. "In Massachusetts, you have the right to a safe and legal abortion. We want to ensure that patients can protect themselves from deceptive and coercive tactics when seeking the care they need." The U.S. Supreme Court on June 24 effectively overturned the Roe v. Wade decision, leaving states to decide whether to keep or outlaw the medical procedure. Massachusetts is among a handful of states that have enshrined abortion as a right under state law.