Officials investigate arson at central Illinois Planned Parenthood facility

Officials in Illinois say they're searching for a suspect after a fire was set at a Peoria Planned Parenthood facility Sunday. No one was inside at the time of the fire, they say, and one firefighter suffered non-life threatening injuries.

Peoria police say they're looking for a truck that was seen on video footage leaving the scene.

"Senseless acts of vandalism have been on the rise across the country and Illinois has become a target as extreme and divisive rhetoric increases," said Planned Parenthood of Illinois president and CEO Jennifer Welch. "This act of vandalism will have a devastating impact on the community's ability to access birth control, cancer screenings and gender-affirming care."

According to the National Abortion Federation, attacks against abortion providers increased by 128% in 2021. Many abortion clinics across the U.S. also shut down in 2022 after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

CBS News reported back in June that a masked woman was caught on video setting fire to a Wyoming abortion clinic that was planning to open. 

In addition, fire officials in December 2021 ruled that a fire at a Tennessee abortion clinic was intentionally set, and that the site had been previously targeted by the same person. Knoxville officials say Mark Thomas Reno, 64, fired a shotgun at the abortion clinic in early 2021, shattering glass and leaving bullet holes in the reception area. The clinic was forced to close for months to undergo a $2.2 million renovation.

In:
• arson
• Abortion
• Planned Parenthood

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.