‘Primary suspect’ Guy Edward Bartkus killed in attack, 4 others wounded
A 25-year-old man suspected of terrorism in a deadly explosion at a California fertility clinic reportedly had a website that referenced Satan and expressed hostility toward Christians and pro-life views.
Authorities say Guy Edward Bartkus of Twentynine Palms is the primary suspect in the May 17 car bombing near the in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinic American Reproductive Centers on the 1100 block of North Indian Canyon Drive, which injured four people and caused extensive damage. Bartkus is believed to have been killed in the blast, according to U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli.
A vehicle exploded in the parking lot near the clinic, and resulted in damage to neighboring businesses, including Desert Regional Medical Center, Denny’s, and Palm Springs Liquor. Four individuals who were wounded in the blast were treated and released on Sunday, ABC affiliate KESQ-TV reported.
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American Reproductive Centers (ARC) is billed as “Coachella Valley’s first and only full-service fertility center and IVF lab,” according to the clinic’s website. Led by Dr. Maher Abdallah, ARC offers fertility services, genetic testing, surrogacy and LGBT family building, its website states.
The office was closed at the time of the blast. Abdallah announced in a statement Friday that although the clinic’s office was damaged, the clinic’s lab and stored embryos did not sustain any damage. “We are immensely grateful to share that no members of the ARC team were harmed, and our lab — including all eggs, embryos, and reproductive materials — remains fully secure and undamaged,” Abdallah said.
The explosion is being treated as an “intentional act of domestic terrorism,” according to authorities.
In a statement released Sunday afternoon on social media, ARC wrote: “We. Choose. Hope. Thank you to everyone who has reached out with love and support during this difficult time. We are humbled by your kindness, strengthened by our community, and filled with hope as we move forward — together.”
While Twentynine Palms, where Bartkus lived, is home to the world’s largest Marine Corps training base, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Bartkus was not a U.S. Marine, a spokesperson confirmed Monday with the LA Times.
According to Essayli, the FBI is examining an “anti pro-life manifesto believed to be authored by” Bartkus that was located after the explosion.
With the phrase “F— you pro-lifers” embedded in its browser tab, the now-broken website “promortalism.com” features a message at the top of a cached version of the site which reads, “Welcome! Here, you can download the recorded stream of my suicide & bombing of an IVF clinic! Please do redistribute/upload wherever you can, this website won’t stay up for long.”
The download button links to an mp3 audio recording, which is being reviewed by investigators to determine its authenticity.
Under an “FAQs” section, the site includes several references to a “pro mortalist” philosophy, which states its end goal to “finally begin the process of sterilizing this planet of the disease of life.” The site also calls for a “war against pro-lifers,” adding, “It is clear at this point that these people aren’t only stupid, they simply do not care about the harm they are perpetuating by being willing agents for a DNA molecule. This should not be seen as tolerable to any intelligent and caring person.”
In addition to advocating for “philosophies that have realized religion is retarded,” the site includes another section titled “You’re going to burn in hell for this!” which espouses atheistic and even satanic ideology condemning belief in Scripture and the God of the Bible. “Your God definitely doesn’t exist, but if he did, I’d choose Satan over your evil God. Did you ever think that maybe the Bible is just slander against Satan, and that Satan just realized what a…creep your God is?”
The page also includes several external links, including to video transcripts of Adam Lanza, who killed 26 people in the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.
The attack on the Palm Springs clinic comes nearly three months after President Donald Trump issued an executive order in February directing his administration to develop policy recommendations to protect and expand IVF access for “more affordable treatment options.”
While Trump has portrayed IVF in a positive light, many pro-life organizations and religious bodies have expressed concern that the practice violates the sanctity of human life.
At the time, Lila Rose, founder of the pro-life group Live Action, detailed her opposition to the executive order. “The staggering cost of IVF is human lives — over 90% of tiny boys and girls created via IVF only to be frozen, discarded, or killed. This is not pro-life. Every human life begins at fertilization, yet IVF treats human beings as disposable,” Rose stated.
