The Federal Bureau of Investigation labeled the Saturday bombing of a reproductive health care clinic in Palm Springs, California as an act of terrorism. The clinic, American Reproductive Centers, offered in vitro fertilization, egg freezing, surrogacy, LGBTQ+ family building, and other services.
“Make no mistake: This is an intentional act of terrorism,” Akil Davis, the head of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, told reporters during an evening conference.
The fertility clinic bombing killed one person, said to be the suspect Guy Edward Bartkus, and injured at least four more people. An internal Los Angeles Police Department briefing circulated Saturday afternoon and viewed by The Los Angeles Times noted that the FBI had confirmed the suspect was the sole fatality.
The clinic’s doctor, Maher Abdallah, told The Washington Post that all his employees were safe, adding that the “IVF lab is intact” and “embryos were not affected in any way.” “Thank God today happened to be a day that we have no patients,” he said. The bombing caved in the building’s roof, shattered windows in businesses that were blocks away, and sprayed debris across a five-lane road.
A 25-year-old man, Bartkus, who lived about an hour’s drive from Palm Springs, used a car bomb in the attack, which greatly damaged the clinic. According to the LAPD briefing, two rifles—an AK-47 and an AR-platform rifle—and ammunition were found next to the exploded vehicle. Per CBS News reporting based on sources familiar with the investigation, the suspect stated in writings or recordings that he was against bringing people into the world against their will. This finding is supported by NBC News’ reporting that the suspect held anti-natalist views—the ideology that no one should have children.
The interim mayor of Palm Springs, Naomi Soto, said the clinic was “a place of hope” and “a building that people go to to start to expand their families.” The targeting of ARC, Soto said, is “a terrible tragedy.” California governor Gavin Newsom posted on X that he had been briefed on the explosion, adding, “Jen and I are keeping everyone affected in our hearts. The state is working closely with local and federal authorities as the investigation unfolds.”
The fertility clinic bombing comes as access to IVF has come under threat from some Republicans across the country—and the attack could deepen concerns for people attempting to start their families through in vitro services. Following the Alabama Supreme Court ruling from February 2024, where the court held that frozen embryos would now be considered children under state law, Republicans—including President Donald Trump—have been maneuvering how to balance their stringent anti-abortion rhetoric with the growing right-wing fetal personhood movement pushing against IVF.
These activists purport that life begins at conception and claim that embryos that do not result in a pregnancy during the process of IVF are victims. According to an April 2024 Pew Research Center survey, only 8 percent of respondents held that IVF is a bad thing—with 70 percent saying that it’s a good thing and 22 percent responding that they weren’t sure.
While IVF facilities and medical service providers have faced increased attacks recently, the kind of violence displayed on Saturday is more likely to occur at clinics that offer abortion services.
In the soon-to-be three years since the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade—gutting access to reproductive health care for millions of Americans and spurring a crisis where women have died after being denied life-saving care—abortion providers have experienced sustained and consistent harassment, terror, and violence, according to the National Abortion Federation’s yearly “Violence & Disruption Report.”
According to the report, from 2023 to 2024, clinics and individual providers were subject to 621 cases of trespassing, 777 obstructions, 296 death threats or threats of harm, 128,570 instances of picketing, 37 cases of stalking, 38 cases of assault and battery, 17 thefts, three arsons and three more attempted arsons, 30 hoax devices or suspicious packages, and 12 bomb threats.
And, since the NAF has been tracking violence since 1977, there have been 11 murders, 200 arsons, 531 assaults, 492 clinic invasions, 375 burglaries, and 42 bombings.
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