BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — Editor's note: The above video initially aired July 5, 2023.
An Ohio woman has pleaded guilty to vandalizing a free reproductive health care facility in Bowling Green in April.
Worthington resident Whitney Durant, 20, who also goes by the name Soren Monroe, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act on Friday, according to a press release issued by the U.S. Department of Justice. Durant was charged in July.
The FACE Act "prohibits a person from intentionally damaging or destroying the property of a facility because that facility provides reproductive health services."
Durant admitted to intentionally damaging the HerChoice pregnancy center in Bowling Green on April 15, the Department of Justice said. At the time of the incident, Durant was a student at Bowling Green State University.
HerChoice, also known as the Bowling Green Pregnancy Center, shared pictures of spray-painted graffiti on a plate glass window and an exterior brick wall of the building.
The phrases “LIARS”, “FAKE CLINIC,” “Fund Abortion,” and “ABORT GOD” were painted over an approximately 6-foot by 20-foot area. The graffiti also included the phrase "Jane’s Revenge."
Jane’s Revenge, which is described as an abortion rights group, has been accused of targeting reproductive healthcare facilities across the country since the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade in June 2022.
The Counter Extremism Project, which maintains databases on extremist and terrorist groups around the world, calls Jane’s Revenge a “militant pro-abortion rights group” and says the group has claimed responsibility for arson and vandalism across the country.
It is unclear if Durant is a member of the movement.
Durant is scheduled to be sentenced on April 9, 2024, and faces a maximum sentence of one year in prison for the misdemeanor charge.
"The First Amendment provides a constitutional right to peacefully protest, but Ms. Durant’s actions of defacing a reproductive health care center crossed a line," Special Agent in Charge Greg Nelsen, of the FBI Cleveland Field Office, said. "The FBI and our partners will continue to aggressively investigate FACE Act violations and protect every American’s access to reproductive health care services."
Rochelle Sikora, executive director of HerChoice, said the clinic has been taking additional safeguards since Roe vs. Wade was overturned.
“We’ve kinda been prepared for it since the Supreme Court decision last year. We knew that there were lots of threats being thrown around against pregnancy centers," Sikora said. "So, we installed improved security. We kinda were ready for it, mentally."
Sikora says a group of students, as well as members of the local Knights of Columbus, were able to clean up the graffiti by the afternoon of the incident.
According to its website, HerChoice is a free medical clinic that offers pregnancy testing, ultrasounds, STI testing and information on pregnancy options.
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