(NewsNation) — Fertility clinics like the one targeted Saturday in a suspected car bomb explosion in Palm Springs, Calif. can face threats from groups that oppose in vitro fertilization (IVF), a former member of the CIA and FBI says.
“We hear a lot about abortion service providers being targeted, particularly by the Army of God, which is a domestic terrorism group,” Tracy Walder, a NewsNation national security contributor, said. “IVF clinics can also be a target as well for people that disagree with the process.”
IVF clinics fertilize eggs with sperm in a lab and implant the embryo in a mother who will carry the baby to term. Some churches, groups, and political conservatives oppose the process because human embryos can be destroyed, discarded, or held in storage indefinitely.
“There are IVF clinics that have security, have cameras, those kinds of things because they are concerned about threats,” said Walder, who has worked in the field of counterterrorism.
Federal and local authorities were processing the scene of the California blast, which one police official said was intentional, and at least one person was dead. The operator of the clinic told The Associated Press there was damage to office space but that no employees were hurt.
Jennifer Coffindaffer, a former FBI special agent, said attacks on clinics typically are the work of lone wolf operators, rather than networks. She noted unconfirmed reports that the person who died Saturday was the bomber.
If true, Coffindaffer said, “It tells me that he is so committed, or she, committed to their belief system and to sending a message that they’re willing to give their life for their message.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi condemned the act, saying in a statement, “Let me be clear: the Trump administration understands that women and mothers are the heartbeat of America. Violence against a fertility clinic is unforgivable.”
President Trump, a Republican, supports IVF, saying it’s a way to help some families have children.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
