MONTPELIER, Vermont — Police at the Vermont Statehouse in Montpelier said the building was vandalized early Saturday when seven windows were broken and a message painted outside the main door reacting to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that overturned a constitutional right to abortion.
Police said the vandalism took place at around 2 a.m. The message painted on the granite portico said, “If abortions aren’t safe you’re not either.”
The Capitol Police estimated damage was in excess of $25,000. The Statehouse had been expected to open Saturday for its summer tour, but that has been postponed. The Statehouse opened Monday morning.
The vandalism came in the aftermath of the Supreme Court decision that reversed Roe v. Wade, the 1973 court decision that provided a constitutional right to abortion.
The decision is not expected to have any immediate effect on a woman’s right to an abortion in Vermont. The state has a law on the books guaranteeing the right to an abortion. State voters are also scheduled to cast ballots in November on whether to amend the state Constitution to protect reproductive rights.
