Originally published on TheHill.com.
The Amherst, N.Y. Police Department (APD) announced Tuesday that it is investigating a “suspicious” fire that occurred at CompassCare pregnancy center in Buffalo.
“Twin City Ambulance Co treated two firefighters for minor injuries and the fire is being investigated as arson at this time,” the APD wrote in a statement to The Hill.
The APD, Eggertsville Hose Co. and three additional fire departments responded to a fire alarm at the center, which was ablaze when the agencies arrived.
A Sheriff’s Office detective and the Town of Amherst fire investigators also arrived at the scene.
“The building was firebombed. The windows in the reception room and nurses’ office were broken and fires lit,” CompassCare wrote of the incident.
The pro-life group, which owns pregnancy centers in Buffalo and Rochester, said that there was graffiti on the side of the building reading “Jane Was Here.”
CompassCare said that the signature was related to “abortion terrorist group Jane’s Revenge,” an underground group that advocates for legal abortion in part by vandalizing pro-life centers, though the claim has not been verified by Amherst Police.
Jane’s Revenge allegedly took responsibility for the firebombing of the Wisconsin Family Action building in Madison, Wisc. last month, according to reporting by The Lincoln Journal-Star.
A statement attributed to the group promised to engage in further “military” activity across the country against organizations opposing abortion, writing: “We demand the disbanding of all anti-choice establishments, fake clinics, and violent anti-choice groups within the next thirty days.”
“Again, this was only a warning,” the statement said of the Madison arson. “Next time the infrastructure of the enslavers will not survive.”
The Town of Amherst Supervisor Brian Kulpa condemned the perpetrators of the arson, saying he was “disgusted that lives were put at risk” by a fire that was set “intentionally.”
“A violent response is never the answer,” Kulpa said to WKBW Buffalo. “There is no place in Amherst for such attacks. Amherst Police are working with our partners to continue its investigation to hold those responsible accountable for their actions.”
CompassCare said that it will continue its operations despite the attack, reporting that the center has consulted with security professionals and is installing armored glass, among other safety measures.
“CompassCare will rebuild because women deserve better. CompassCare will not stop serving because pre-born boys and girls deserve protection,” said the group’s CEO Jim Harden.
CompassCare Buffalo employs 11 female medical professionals to provide free services to clients, including “medically accurate and confidential abortion information, pregnancy diagnosis as well as STD testing and treatment.”
“At CompassCare we understand that having the baby is the most difficult choice. If you are not empowered to make the most difficult choice, you are not truly free to choose,” the center wrote, citing studies that show that 64% of American women who had abortions “felt pressured by others” and 84% said they did not receive “adequate counseling beforehand.”
Capitol Hill Pregnancy Center in Washington, D.C. on Friday was vandalized with similar messages, according to FOX 5 DC.
The center was spray painted with the phrases “JANE SAYS” and “REVENGE,” as well as pelted with eggs and splattered with red paint. Controversy around the abortion issue has erupted over the past month since a verified draft of a Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, the case that established a federal right to abortion, was leaked on May 2.
