Vandals graffiti Morgentaler abortion clinc
CTV.CA
CP
Fredericton - Staff at the Morgentaler abortion clinic in Fredericton were cleaning up Friday after vandals spray-painted anti-abortion messages on the clinic's walls.
Aside from profanity, the messages left in large, black letters included: abortion kills innocent people, and murder is murder.
"This is our space and it has been violated,'' clinic manager Simone Leibovitch said as she tried to remove the graffiti.
She said while the sidewalk in front of the downtown clinic has been spray-painted on a number of occasions, this is the first time the building has been vandalized.
Last week, Fredericton police received hundreds of complaints after the anti-abortion group Show the Truth set up roadside displays showing graphic photos depicting what appeared to be aborted fetuses.
Some motorists shouted obscenities while the group from Burnt River, Ont., attempted to hand out pamphlets during their demonstration.
Leibovitch said she suspects the graffiti this week was a random act, and not directly connected to the Ontario group.
"I don't think it was those people who did this,'' said Leibovitch. "I think it's people who have been very upset about what they've seen, about the graphic visualizations that have been on the streets of Fredericton for four separate days, and I think it's very unfortunate.''
On Friday, Judy Burwell of the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada was wearing rubber gloves and a face mask as she sprayed cleaners to remove the painted messages from the clinic walls.
"People get riled-up, and a lot of people don't even know what they're reacting to,'' she said. "They're just reacting, and this is an easy target.''
Police are investigating.
Dr. Henry Morgentaler has operated a clinic in Fredericton since 1993.
