In January, two Florida residents were indicted by a federal grand jury for spray painting threats on a pregnancy center in Winter Haven, Florida.

LifeChoice Pregnancy Center, a Care Net affiliate, was vandalized in June. The spray-painted threats included the phrases: “If abortions aren’t safe than neither are you,” “YOUR TIME IS UP!,” “WE’RE COMING for U,” and “We are everywhere.”

The indictment alleges that Caleb Freestone, 27, and Amber Smith-Stewart, 23, and others “engaged in a conspiracy to prevent employees of reproductive health services facilities from providing those services.” If convicted of the offenses, Freestone and Smith-Stewart each face up to a maximum of 12 years in prison, three years of supervised release and fines of up to $350,000.

In the wake of Roe v. Wade being overturned, LifeChoice was just one of many centers that have been targeted. According to CatholicVote.org, at least 82 pregnancy resource centers and pro-life groups have been attacked and vandalized since a draft Supreme Court opinion overturning Roe v. Wade was leaked in early May.

Roland Warren, CEO and President of Care Net, addressed the issue when he announced the organization’s Watch and Pray Initiative last summer.

“As an organization that supports a network of 1,200 life-affirming pregnancies centers, we are deeply saddened by these attempts to intimidate organizations that do so much amazing God-honoring work to support women and men in their communities,” he said.

Watch and Pray is based on Bible verses in Luke 21:36, Ezekiel 33:2, and Matthew 10:16. Accordingly, Care Net created resources for its network of pregnancy centers to start local initiatives, and encouraged the recruitment of volunteer teams that can keep an overnight watch.

Help may also be on the way in the form of federal legislation and funding. On February 28, The Pregnancy Center Security Act was introduced by Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.). The legislation would establish a grant program for pregnancy-help organizations to implement security upgrades, including the installation of security cameras and systems.

“Pregnancy centers offer hope and support for women, girls, and their unborn children. It’s offensive for these facilities to be threatened by violence and vandalism, and I fully support this legislation to help protect them and the good work they are doing,” said Hyde-Smith, chair of the Senate Pro-Life Caucus. “Their protection represents a new responsibility in a post-Roe America as more pregnancy centers are established across the country to support mothers and their babies.”

The Pregnancy Center Security Act has received support from a coalition of national pro-life organizations. Hon. Marilyn Musgrave, vice president of government affairs for Susan B. Anthony Pro-life America, is hopeful that members of the senate on both sides of the isle will support the bill.

“Nearly 3,000 pregnancy centers and maternity homes nationwide equip and empower millions of women and families each year to choose life for their children. With an average satisfaction rate of 99%, these centers offer women real choices and provide millions of dollars worth of material assistance and vital services typically at no charge,” she said. “We applaud Sen. Risch and his colleagues for supporting these centers in carrying out their loving mission, including measures to ensure the safest and most welcoming environment for clients and workers in the face of pro-abortion hostility.”