'Crisis Pregnancy Center' vandalized in St. Paul

The outside of a building with spray paint
Birthright, a non-medical "crisis pregnancy center" located on Snelling Avenue in St. Paul was vandalized on Tuesday.
Sam Stroozas | MPR News

Birthright, a non-medical “crisis pregnancy center” against abortion with a location on Snelling Avenue in St. Paul, was vandalized overnight.

Steve Linders, public information officer for the St. Paul police department, said the attack was reported and handed off to an investigator. Linders said it is unclear the exact time when the building was vandalized.

Black spray paint on the side of the building read “Blood On Your Hands.” The front of the building had red spray paint with three messages: “Abort America,” “F*** You” and “Janes Revenge.”

A side of a building reads blood on your hands
Birthright, a "crisis pregnancy center" located on Snelling Ave in St. Paul was vandalized on Tuesday.
Sam Stroozas | MPR News

Karen McCann, the volunteer coordinator at Birthright, said she was one of the first people to arrive on her morning shift when she saw the spray paint and two broken windows.

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Volunteers cleaned up the glass and reported the incident to the St. Paul Police Department.

The graffiti is similar to that used by Jane’s Revenge, a pro-abortion rights organization.

Jane’s Revenge began carrying out vandalism targeting anti-abortion groups in May 2022. In Minnesota, Jane’s Revenge is believed to be responsible for an incident on June 14 at Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life in Minneapolis, where windows were smashed and “Abortion is Liberation” was written in red paint.

While Roe v. Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court on June 24, abortion remains legal in Minnesota. There are nearly 100 centers like Birthright across the state that discourage pregnant people from seeking abortions. They outnumber abortion health centers 13 to 1.

McCann said she does not know why Birthright was targeted but it does not surprise her. In the last five years, she says the location has been vandalized seven times.

“Our charter says we help people make positive choices and we do not believe in referring toward abortion,” McCann said. “We are all very supportive of life.”

Red spray paint reads Janes Revenge
The door leading into Birthright on Snelling Avenue is marked by spray paint.
Sam Stroozas | MPR News