Wednesday, Apr. 12, 2023
Have dozens of attacks on churches and pro-life clinics occurred since last summer?
More than 100 attacks on churches and pro-life clinics have occurred since May 2, 2022, when the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked.
At least 147 attacks on Catholic churches have occurred since the leak, with most consisting of property destruction, according to a tracker by the conservative group CatholicVote.
A report by the conservative Family Research Council examining attacks against all denominations of churches found at least 57 incidents from January 2022 to September 2022 contained pro-abortion messages or were linked to pro-abortion protests. An FRC tracker also shows that 64 pro-life organizations have been attacked in the period between the leak and March 2023.
Only a small proportion of the attacks have been linked to documented arrests, though Attorney General Merrick Garland has said that the FBI is putting its "full resources" into prosecuting attackers of pro-life pregnancy centers.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- Catholic Vote Tracker: Over 300 attacks on US Catholic churches since May 2020
- Family Research Council Hostility against churches is on the rise in the United States
- Family Research Council Tracker of attacks against churches and pro-life organizations (as of March 16, 2023)
- Fox News More than 100 pro-life orgs, churches attacked since Dobbs leak
- Fox News AG Garland claims FBI has put 'full resources' into tracking attacks on pro-life centers, despite few arrests
- Politico Supreme Court has voted to overturn abortion rights, draft opinion shows
About fact briefs
Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.
See all fact briefs
Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
Learn MoreLatest Fact Briefs
Did Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel try to repeal the Affordable Care Act?
Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025