US District Judge Colin S. Bruce sentenced Philip Buyno to five years in prison in the Central District of Illinois on Monday after he attempted to commit arson against a future reproductive healthcare center. Bruce also ordered Buyno to pay $327,547 in restitution for the damages he caused.

Buyno pled guilty to attempting to use fire to damage a building used in interstate commerce. Buyno filled multiple containers with gasoline, placed them in his car and backed into the entrance of the building in an attempt to burn it. The building was being renovated for future use as a reproductive health center. Buyno wanted to burn the building down before it could be used for this purpose.

The US attorney for the Central District of Illinois condemned the attempt to prevent women from having access to reproductive healthcare. The National Abortion Federation has noted a sharp rise in violence against reproductive healthcare providers and clinics. Specifically, the number of arsons and burglaries doubled from 2021 to 2022. There is concern among abortion groups that this will discourage people from seeking needed medical care.

One proposed solution to this rise in violence is the introduction of buffer zones between protestors and reproductive health clinics. This past December, the Supreme Court declined to hear a case challenging these buffer zones, allowing them to remain in place.

In 2023, the US Supreme Court case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization eliminated the constitutional right to abortion. The issue is now for the individual states to set their own abortion restrictions, if any, creating legal diversity around the issue. On Monday, a South Carolina woman, Taylor Shelton, sued the state after she was denied an abortion at around six weeks of pregnancy.