Washington Investigators Determine Arson As Cause of Planned Parenthood Fire

At 3:30 a.m. on Friday morning, a Planned Parenthood clinic in Pullman, WA was set on fire. Investigators have determined the cause of the fire to be arson.

The Spokesman-Review reports that the fire caused significant damage that will leave the clinic closed for a month or more (thankfully no one was injured). Karl Eastlund, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Greater Washington and North Idaho, told the paper, “This is an appalling act of violence towards Planned Parenthood, but unfortunately a predictable ripple effect from the false and incendiary attacks that fuel violence from extremists.”

The fire follows a wave of protests at Planned Parenthood clinics across the country. Those protests were sparked by heavily-edited videos released by the Center for Medical Progress which claim to show Planned Parenthood employees acknowledging that they illegally harvest and sell fetal body parts. Planned Parenthood has vigorously denied any wrongdoing and questioned the authenticity of the videos.

It’s worth noting, however, that the Pullman clinic neither participates in the donation program nor does it provide abortion services. The clinic provides basic women’s health, family planning, and provides abortion referrals.

The Associated Press notes that this isn’t the first time that a clinic in the region has been targeted:

In 1996, a Planned Parenthood clinic in Spokane Valley was bombed. Four men were convicted in the blast. They were members of a white supremacist, anti-abortion group.

The local fire department is working with federal agencies to investigate the arson. In the meantime, Planned Parenthood is looking for temporary offices in the region.