On Saturday, May 17th, a car bomb was detonated in Palm Springs, California outside of the American Reproductive Center’s Southern California location, destroying the facility and nearby buildings, inflicting severe injuries on at least four people, and causing the unfortunate death of the individual who denoted the bomb. Dr. Jamila Perritt, ob/gyn in Washington DC and President & CEO of Physicians for Reproductive Health responds:
“The events of this weekend leave me with deep concern for our community of health care providers committed to increasing access to reproductive and sexual health care and the patients we care for.
Accessing health care should never be a fearful experience. Our communities deserve better.
“As an ob/gyn and abortion provider committed to meeting the needs of my patients, I condemn this violent attack on the American Reproductive Center fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California. At this time, the FBI has declared this offense as ‘an intentional act of terrorism,’ this tragedy adding to the growing list of escalating attacks on reproductive health care facilities, patients, and providers across the nation since the 1970s. This event helps maintain a doctrine that seeks to control who has access to care, whose bodies are deemed worthy of protection, and who is permitted to make decisions about their bodies.
“Again, we are no strangers to these forms of violence. History has shown us that events that harass, threaten, and attack our communities are not isolated but rather are a component of a larger effort to bolster dangerous, fascist political ideologies that dictate if, when, and how people reproduce. These are direct attempts to not only deny us our right to bodily autonomy but also catalyze fear within our communities. We will not back down. Providing health care should never come at the expense of our safety and well-being. Accessing health care should never be a fearful experience. Our communities deserve better.
At PRH, we will continue to show up for our patients as well as for providers…
“The acts of this weekend are incredibly dangerous and will come with devastating implications for patients, providers, and the health care landscape as we know it. Remember, reproductive health care and rights exist on a spectrum; in the same ways anti-abortion violence is fueled by political ideologies that treat bodily autonomy as a threat, this attack shows how far some will go to assert control — even of those seeking to grow their families.
“At PRH, we will continue to show up for our patients as well as for providers, while laying the foundation for a liberated society in which everyone has access to the care, they need without the looming threat of violence. Our hearts are with those who were physically harmed by way of this tragedy.”