CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — Women’s clinics in Central Illinois are responding to vandalism at the site of a future clinic in Danville.
It happened over the weekend on N. Logan Avenue near Kimber Street. The FBI says a man backed his car into the building and had several gasoline containers with him.
Keith Reisinger-Kindle, the owner of Equity Clinic in Champaign, said this type of violence against reproductive health centers is not rare and has been on the rise.
The National Abortion Federation Says there were close to 140,000 reports of violence against abortion providers and clinics nationally last year. There were over 3,000 in Illinois.
The owner of Equity Clinic says it happens in both hostile and welcoming communities. In this case, the suspect wasn’t from the Danville area. 73-year-old Philip Buyno is from Prophetstown, Ill. That’s over 200 miles away. He faces several charges, including attempted arson.
“I think if we spend a lot of time trying to figure out what is motivating these individuals, we’re probably spinning our wheels and wasting energy as opposed to just continuing to support the organizations that are providing safe and quality care to people in the region,” said Reisinger-Kindle.
The existing Women’s Care Clinic in Danville released a statement.
Part of it reads: “It saddens us to see this kind of behavior happening anywhere, but especially in our community. We’re thankful for our local and state law enforcement for handling the situation.”
Buyno could spend up to 20 years in prison if convicted of the federal charge he’s facing.