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Christian Pregnancy Center in Oregon Damaged During 'Suspicious' Fire, Vows to 'Love Those Who Hate Us'

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Authorities are investigating a fire at a pregnancy center in Oregon that has been classified as "suspicious in nature."

The Gresham Pregnancy Resource Center is one of three clinics in the Portland area run by the Christian organization, First Image which offers women alternatives to abortion.

First Image posted a statement on its website Saturday saying, "it appears an incendiary device was thrown through a window. " 

The clinic sustained extensive damage, along with water and smoke damage in other parts of the building, however, no one was hurt.  

"The kind of outrage that's being directed at us is based on a complete misunderstanding and misrepresentation of who we are and how we have served the hundreds of thousands of people that have come to us over the decades," First Image said. "This moment in our culture is volatile, and the spillover into violence is deeply destructive to the fabric of our communities. We reject and refuse to have any part in the culture of hate. Jesus has modeled a different way. It's the way of love. That narrow way includes, as a challenge to us all, the love of those who hate us." 

That same day, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives' Portland Field Office tweeted that it is assisting with the investigation. 

"We don't know who's involved in this. But there's enough to tell us that it is suspicious in nature," Gresham Fire Battalion Chief Jason McGowan told KOIN News. "And that's why we need to have multiple agencies looking into it and seeing what exactly happened this morning."  

This is the second time a First Image center has been vandalized.  

On May 4, windows at their Southeast Portland Pregnancy Resource Center were shattered and hateful messages were spray-painted on the building.

Attacks against pro-life pregnancy centers have accelerated around the country since the May 2 leak of a draft opinion by the High Court. 

Pro-abortion extremists, such as Janes Revenge, have been leaving their mark on churches and pregnancy centers recently. 

CBN News previously reported that the South Broward Pregnancy Help Center was defaced last week with graffiti threatening, "If abortions aren't safe, neither are you," and signed "Jane's Revenge."  

A crisis pregnancy center in Washington D.C. was damaged earlier this month with graffiti that is likely linked to Jane's Revenge.  

The radical pro-abortion group also threatened further violence if pro-life groups and similar organizations don't disband and stop advocating against the abortion of unborn children.

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About The Author

Andrea Morris
Andrea
Morris

Andrea Morris is a Features Producer for The 700 Club. She came to CBN in 2019 where she worked as a web producer in the news department for three years. Her passion was always to tell human interest stories that would touch the hearts of readers while connecting them with God. She transitioned into her new role with The 700 Club in August 2022.