A new abortion clinic in deeply conservative Wyoming is stirring strong emotions, with the mayor of the state’s second-largest city apologizing for a Facebook post some said sparked a deliberate attack that delayed the clinic’s opening by nearly a year.
Casper Mayor Bruce Knell said the post was intended to imply hellfire rather than violence, in a long and sometimes tearful statement in which he apologized to the city’s residents.
“In bad taste, I made a comment that I feel may have been misinterpreted. I didn’t put up a picture of a burning building. I didn’t. I put up a picture of a man dancing in fire because it’s in my religious beliefs: When you sin against God, you have to go to hell unless you repent,” Knell said at the close of a city council meeting on Tuesday where there were more than a dozen people speaking out for and against the clinic.
Wyoming lawmakers have passed a law banning abortion except in cases of rape or incest reported to the police, or when the mother’s life is in danger. A state district court judge placed the ban I’m waiting while filing a case against him. The state also approved a ban for the first time in the country on the abortion pill, which is set to go into effect in July.
Last May, a woman broke into the Wellspring Health Access clinic in Casper and lit petrol she had stashed and scattered around the facility as it prepared for the opening, according to police.
the The clinic finally opened The April 20 and Knell’s Facebook post came in response to a news article by Oil City, a local online news outlet. Knell later He said to the city of oil He did not intend to incite violence and the newsletter removed the original story and comments from Facebook, citing an unspecified policy.
However, the mayoral position drew attention, including from Wellspring, which had representatives and supporters at the council meeting on Tuesday.
“For the mayor to release a photo of the fire in response to Wellspring’s recent opening, even if it wasn’t directly referring to arson, was careless and callous. Casper deserves better,” Wellspring board member Holly Thompson said at the meeting.
People should not confuse his personal anti-abortion views with his position as mayor, Knell said, and that the new business is welcome in Casper. But he made his personal views clear at the meeting, saying he was simply “trying to give information” about potential danger in the afterlife.
Knell also said he knew from the start that the post would generate controversy.
“You don’t think for a minute when I posted that I didn’t know I was going to get it? I knew what was going to happen. But I tell you, I am strong in my convictions. I agree with what I said. I wish I said it differently so it wouldn’t be offensive to anyone.”
He said to applause that the mayor had not responded to calls to resign.
Arson caused an estimated $300,000 in damages at the clinic. Police didn’t have any suspects until March, when tipsters responding to a higher reward in the case led them to Lorna Green.
The 22-year-old college student, Casper, allegedly told investigators she opposed abortion and burned down the clinic because it was giving her anxiety and nightmares. Green, who has been released from prison, has not yet filed a petition.
She faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted. Her attorney, Ryan Simrad, said he looks forward to defending her in court.