A suspicious fire in a Central California Planned Parenthood clinic has forced the local women’s health center to shut down for the rest of the week.
The suspected arson took place early Wednesday morning, according to police. Water from the building’s sprinkler system has permanently damaged the office and its medical equipment. Police have yet to determine what or who started the fire at the Modesto clinic — but staff have reason to believe it was intentional.
“We have not been receiving threats, but we have been receiving more suspicious calls,” Liz Figueroa, a spokeswoman with Planned Parenthood told the local FOX station. “The FBI is looking into it as we speak.”
This attack is only the most recent in a string of vandalism directed toward Planned Parenthood clinics across the country in the aftermath of a malicious video campaign directed at the organization. While the videos have been discredited in court, many — including GOP senators — still believe Planned Parenthood is selling “aborted baby parts.”
Planned Parenthood Clinics Targeted With Vandalism And Arson In The Wake Of Released VideosHealth by CREDIT: AP Photo The growing conservative uproar against Planned Parenthood – sparked by this summer’s…thinkprogress.orgWhile the Modesto Planned Parenthood assesses its damage, patients will be redirected to their nearest health center. The next closest Planned Parenthood is a half hour drive away.
Last October, following an unprecedented number of attacks on Planned Parenthood clinics, reproductive rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America urged the Department of Justice to investigate the attacks as potential acts of domestic terrorism. A month later, there was a deadly shooting at a Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood by an anti-abortion extremist that killed three people, but the FBI didn’t immediately characterize it as a terrorist attack.