US rep blames abortion supporters for Michigan office damage

JACKSON, Mich. (AP) — A Republican U.S. representative says he believes abortion rights activists may be behind vandalism at the building his campaign office shares with an anti-abortion group in southern Michigan.

Attackers smashed windows and a front door of the building in Jackson, Michigan, early Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg’s campaign said. Jackson is about 80 miles (130 kilometers) west of Detroit.

A sign near the building’s entrance was spray-painted with pink paint and two windows were broken, Jackson Police and Fire Services Director Elmer Hitt told MLive.com.

There was no evidence that anyone entered the building and no suspects have been identified, Hitt added.

Walberg, of Tipton, said the spray-painted message appeared to indicate the vandalism was done by someone who supports abortion rights. Walberg said he opposes abortion.

Jackson Right to Life shares the building with his campaign office.

Other incidents of vandalism impacting abortion opponents have been reported in the U.S. following the leak of a draft opinion that suggests the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to overturn its landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide.

Nearly a dozen windows and three glass doors were smashed early Monday at Lennon Pregnancy Center in Dearborn Heights. Someone spray-painted: “If abortions aren’t safe, neither are you.”

“It’s not an isolated incident. It’s not random,” Gary Hillebrand, board president of the center, told the Detroit Free Press.

The Associated Press left a message Thursday seeking comment from Dearborn Heights police.

Some abortion providers and law enforcement agencies have also been preparing for an increase in violence once the Supreme Court announces its official ruling, which is expected soon.