Tim Kaine blames Supreme Court for violence against churches, pro-life clinics

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FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., on Thursday blamed the Supreme Court for the wave of political violence sweeping the country following its "radical" ruling last week overturning Roe v. Wade.

At least six Catholic churches have been targeted with arson and vandalism since the Supreme Court’s decision on Friday in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade and returned the question of abortion for the states to decide.

Senator Tim Kaine, a Democrat from Virginia, is blaming the Supreme Court for the wave of political violence sweeping the country following its "radical" ruling last week overturning Roe v. Wade. (Susan Walsh/AP Photo/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Kaine, a Catholic, condemned the violence against churches through his spokesperson in a statement to Fox News Digital, but he ultimately blamed the high court’s ruling for sparking the violence.

"Senator Kaine has always condemned violence and vandalism," the statement read. "He voted a few weeks ago to provide enhanced protection for Supreme Court justices."

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"Because of the Court’s shocking decision to strip away longstanding constitutional rights from women, we have seen an uptick in vandalism against churches and clinics and also violent physical attacks against pro-choice protestors," the statement continued. "All of these are a heartbreaking effect of the radical ruling."

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., questions United States Ambassador to the United Nations nominee Linda Thomas-Greenfield during for her confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021, in Washington.

"The solution is not violence or vandalism," the statement added. "The only way forward lies in constructive, peaceful political engagement. The majority of Americans support protecting basic reproductive freedom. If the majority peacefully engages, we can accomplish this goal in Congress and state legislatures."

The former Virginia governor's comments come after Catholic bishops called on elected officials to condemn the violence against churches and pro-life pregnancy centers since the draft opinion of the Supreme Court’s decision in the Dobbs case was leaked to Politico on May 2.

Protesters shout as they join thousands marching around the Arizona Capitol after the Supreme Court decision to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion decision Friday, June 24, 2022, in Phoenix.  (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Since the ruling was officially handed down Friday, at least six Catholic churches have been targeted with vandalism and arson, including a 145-year-old Catholic church in West Virginia that was burned to the ground in what police are investigating as an arson attack.  

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The White House on Thursday said President Biden, who has described himself as "deeply Catholic," "condemns these attacks."

"The President condemns these attacks," White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "He has always denounced violence, threats, and vandalism committed by anyone, for any purpose. And he explicitly repeated those values in his remarks reacting to the Dobbs decision, calling for all protests to be peaceful."