California Explosion at fertility clinic in Palm Springs, at least one dead, May 2025

[imstilla.grandma]

Saturday’s explosion brought a resurgence of attention to in vitro fertilization, a reproductive assistance treatment that has been increasingly politicized since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. The treatment has drawn scrutiny from antiabortion groups aiming to protect the embryos created during the process, which they believe should legally be considered people. Across the country, tens of thousands of patients rely on IVF, the most common form of assisted reproduction, to have children

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/05/18/palm-springs-fertility-clinic-bomb-suspect-manifesto/

 

[Elley Mae]

Saturday’s explosion brought a resurgence of attention to in vitro fertilization, a reproductive assistance treatment that has been increasingly politicized since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. The treatment has drawn scrutiny from antiabortion groups aiming to protect the embryos created during the process, which they believe should legally be considered people. Across the country, tens of thousands of patients rely on IVF, the most common form of assisted reproduction, to have children

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/05/18/palm-springs-fertility-clinic-bomb-suspect-manifesto/

I wouldn’t be gran mom today without it.
Love me some grandbaby Betty.

 

[Oiseaux]

More on the anti-natalist movement/ideology -

(RSBM)

It’s easy to wonder whether Benetar and many antinatalists are simply depressed. Mackellen disagrees: “It’s been challenging at times, but for the most part I’ve had a good life,” she says. “I’ve never been suicidal. I’d actually like to live a long time and be healthy for the rest of my life.” Her concerns for humans are mostly environmental, “what new people will experience with global warming and microplastics in our water. I think it would be unfair of me to create new people to have a worse life than mine.”

Would you give up having children to save the planet? Meet the couples who have

The environmental toll of having even one child is enormous - 58.6 tonnes of carbon each year. So is going child-free the answer to our climate crisis?

www.theguardian.com

I think it's important to remember here that there are a lot of "shades of grey" in this area. Many of the points and statements in this article are also shared by normal people who care about humans and do not identify as "anti-natalist," and would never dream of hurting someone else or committing acts of violence. That is not a natural progression of this line of thinking.

I can only speak for my millennial peers, but several of my friends are caring and kind people who are choosing not to have kids. Their reasons are generally concerns about whether their kids would have good lives (recent decades have been punctuated by "unprecedented historic events" every ten years or so, so it's a fair question imo), and concerns about environmental risks - a lot of what's discussed in the Guardian article. They love, respect, and support their friends who have kids, and are amazing "aunties/uncles". Their decisions are based on trying to do what they can to avoid suffering - which it's disconcerting to also see mentioned by this bomber as part of his beliefs.

The sad thing about this is that I worry that it might end up with folks lumping a lot of compassionate people who chose not to have kids in with these extremists.

 

[Elley Mae]

I think it's important to remember here that there are a lot of "shades of grey" in this area. Many of the points and statements in this article are also shared by normal people who care about humans and do not identify as "anti-natalist," and would never dream of hurting someone else or committing acts of violence. That is not a natural progression of this line of thinking.

I can only speak for my millennial peers, but several of my friends are caring and kind people who are choosing not to have kids. Their reasons are generally concerns about whether their kids would have good lives (recent decades have been punctuated by "unprecedented historic events" every ten years or so, so it's a fair question imo), and concerns about environmental risks - a lot of what's discussed in the Guardian article. They love, respect, and support their friends who have kids, and are amazing "aunties/uncles". Their decisions are based on trying to do what they can to avoid suffering - which it's disconcerting to also see mentioned by this bomber as part of his beliefs.

The sad thing about this is that I worry that it might end up with folks lumping a lot of compassionate people who chose not to have kids in with these extremists.

Thanks

I totally agree as my niece has chosen not to have children, she loves her life as a dog mom and yes she does work from home and her husband works and travels also with his job.

Jmo

 

[Lusitana]

This is so weird. It just doesn't make sense to me. Your life is so miserable that you resent being born and think you have any right to decide that nobody else should be born either? Yeah, none of us asked to be born, but if someone is miserable to the point of feeling this way about everyone, just go and don't hurt anyone. You have the option to chose when your last day on Earth is, just go...

I know this might sound cruel but it just doesn't make sense. If you hate being alive, do what you have to do and leave people alone.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

The bomb used was powerful enough "to throw pieces of vehicle hundreds of feet in the air and then several blocks away. You can use your imagination for how big that that bomb device was," Davis said. He would not comment on the type of materials used in the bomb, saying it was still under investigation. Bartkus was driving a silver 2010 Ford Fusion sedan, Davis said.

American Reproductive Centers said Saturday in a post on Facebook that a vehicle had exploded in the parking lot near its Palm Springs facility earlier in the day. The clinic said no staff members were hurt and there was no damage to any of its eggs, embryos and reproductive material.

"This moment has shaken us—but it has not stopped us," the post reads. "We will continue to serve with strength, love, and the hope that brings new life into the world."

https://www.npr.org/2025/05/18/nx-s1-5402806/palm-springs-explosion-fertility-clinic-terrorism-person-of-interest

 

[Elley Mae]

https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/499303/ky040-rotary-encoder-weird-waveform/499306#499306

Shaped charge - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Just looking around.

Eta.

https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA226401.pdf

 

[Sundog]

This whole thing gives Zizian cult vibes, MOO

I thought of that right away, Zizians, anti-natalists, new cults in our time, among others.

 

[dulcinea]

Anyone familiar with Robert Smith from The Cure? Here's his take on the idea. I've read a few articles about him where he makes similar comments.

The Cure's Robert Smith: 'I'm uncomfortable with politicised musicians'

The Bestival headliner despairs at the riots, wealth inequality, and the UK 'sliding into a police state': just don't ask him to write a song about it

www.theguardian.com

"So he's never wanted to pass on his own genes? "I've never regretted not having children. My mindset in that regard has been constant. I objected to being born, and I refuse to impose life on someone else. Living, it's awful for me. I can't on one hand argue the futility of life and the pointlessness of existence and have a family. It doesn't sit comfortably."

 

[flowershop]

Anyone familiar with Robert Smith from The Cure? Here's his take on the idea. I've read a few articles about him where he makes similar comments.

The Cure's Robert Smith: 'I'm uncomfortable with politicised musicians'

The Bestival headliner despairs at the riots, wealth inequality, and the UK 'sliding into a police state': just don't ask him to write a song about it

www.theguardian.com

"So he's never wanted to pass on his own genes? "I've never regretted not having children. My mindset in that regard has been constant. I objected to being born, and I refuse to impose life on someone else. Living, it's awful for me. I can't on one hand argue the futility of life and the pointlessness of existence and have a family. It doesn't sit comfortably."

I am familiar with this mindset. GenXers and younger adhere to this thinking to enough of a degree that they are often blamed for demographic implosion in their country. Stories of robots taking care of the elderly in Japan and political leaders offering money for families to have children are common in the news.

 

[Elley Mae]

The “pro-mortalist” maniac who detonated a car bomb outside a Palm Springs IVF clinic over the weekend had burned down his own family home when he was just 9 years old, his dad has revealed.

Palm Springs IVF clinic bomber burned down family home when he was 9, dad reveals

The “pro-mortalist” maniac who detonated a car bomb outside a Palm Springs IVF clinic over the weekend had burned down his own family home when he was just 9 years old, his dad has revealed. Richar…

nypost.com

The dad, who noted he hadn’t spoken to his kid in a decade, described his son as “a follower who was easily influenced by others.”

 

[Betty P]

Call me crazy, but no one gives consent to be here. And it sort is is the main purpose biologically for life to reproduce…..so….

Him picking a day they were closed seems he might have just wanted a public suicide. Thank goodness no one else was hurt.

My goodness people are really messed up.

Moo

The “pro-mortalist” maniac who detonated a car bomb outside a Palm Springs IVF clinic over the weekend had burned down his own family home when he was just 9 years old, his dad has revealed.

Palm Springs IVF clinic bomber burned down family home when he was 9, dad reveals

The “pro-mortalist” maniac who detonated a car bomb outside a Palm Springs IVF clinic over the weekend had burned down his own family home when he was just 9 years old, his dad has revealed. Richar…

nypost.com

The dad, who noted he hadn’t spoken to his kid in a decade, described his son as “a follower who was easily influenced by others.”

Oh, boy. According to the article above, he was also former military and had a AR-style rifle along with an AK 47. He wasn't known to the FBI prior to this incident.

It really is important to report these types to the FBI when you see/encounter them. Any creep out shooting off an AR style rifle in a residential area or making his own explosives should be considered, especially if they're also abusing alcohol or/and drugs. Don't assume local LE is going to do an adequate job of dealing with these kinds of threats. Better to have more than one agency watching them for problems. JMO

 

[Maat99]

The “pro-mortalist” maniac who detonated a car bomb outside a Palm Springs IVF clinic over the weekend had burned down his own family home when he was just 9 years old, his dad has revealed.

Palm Springs IVF clinic bomber burned down family home when he was 9, dad reveals

The “pro-mortalist” maniac who detonated a car bomb outside a Palm Springs IVF clinic over the weekend had burned down his own family home when he was just 9 years old, his dad has revealed. Richar…

nypost.com

The dad, who noted he hadn’t spoken to his kid in a decade, described his son as “a follower who was easily influenced by others.”

Also nice of him to take the earliest opportunity to blame his ex wife because she was “too lenient”

 

[PrairieWind]

Also nice of him to take the earliest opportunity to blame his ex wife because she was “too lenient”

Well, if the boy was burning the house down and still playing with incendiaries, it seems that continuing to be lenient was a very dangerous thing to do. This boy chose to live with his mother because she let him do what he wanted.

 

[Cedars]

In terms of his purported reason/motives, this is how one commentator views it:

"Brian Levin, the founder of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism and professor emeritus at Cal State San Bernardino, said that the author of the manifesto appeared to be part of a growing movement of alienated lone actors radicalized on obscure internet sites and misinformation....a hopeless, unstable young man whose suicidal despair [is] justified ... by an obscure anti-life ideology.”

Fringe theories, a friend's death and massive explosives: Portrait emerges of Palm Springs bombing suspect

Authorities are investigating what appear to be radical views that Guy Edward Bartkus expressed online in the months before Saturday’s attack.

www.latimes.com

IMO, whatever words all these suicidal attackers use aren't actually meaningful. They don't understand why they want so badly to kill themselves, but instead of going to get help from a therapist or similar, they go down internet rabbit-holes - which just makes them worse.

IMO it doesn't matter which internet rabbithole they go down, they're all dead ends for a suicidal person...the best advice to someone like him would be to turn off the bloody internet, go outside, exercise, and call a hotline.

JMO

 

[flowershop]

In terms of his purported reason/motives, this is how one commentator views it:

"Brian Levin, the founder of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism and professor emeritus at Cal State San Bernardino, said that the author of the manifesto appeared to be part of a growing movement of alienated lone actors radicalized on obscure internet sites and misinformation....a hopeless, unstable young man whose suicidal despair [is] justified ... by an obscure anti-life ideology.”

Fringe theories, a friend's death and massive explosives: Portrait emerges of Palm Springs bombing suspect

Authorities are investigating what appear to be radical views that Guy Edward Bartkus expressed online in the months before Saturday’s attack.

www.latimes.com

IMO, whatever words all these suicidal attackers use aren't actually meaningful. They don't understand why they want so badly to kill themselves, but instead of going to get help from a therapist or
similar, they go down internet rabbit-holes - which just makes them worse.

IMO it doesn't matter which internet rabbithole they go down, they're all dead ends for a suicidal person...the best advice to someone like him would be to turn off the bloody internet, go outside, exercise, and call a hotline.

JMO

Your advice sounds reasonable to me but I have read that in one study, an American teenager spends 5 hours a day on their smartphone while they are in school. Turning off the internet seems to be harder and harder to do.

 

[Betty P]

Well, if the boy was burning the house down and still playing with incendiaries, it seems that continuing to be lenient was a very dangerous thing to do. This boy chose to live with his mother because she let him do what he wanted.

Not to mention he owned or had access to the AK 47 and AR-style rifle found at the scene.

One dead after suspected bomb blast near reproductive health clinic in Palm Springs

A suspected bomb blast that authorities believe was 'an intentional act of terrorism' outside a Palm Springs fertility clinic left one person dead and additional people injured.

www.latimes.com

An internal briefing circulated Saturday afternoon by senior officials within the Los Angeles Police Department and viewed by The Times noted that the FBI had confirmed the suspect was the sole fatality. That briefing also said police had found two rifles — an AK-47 and an AR-platform rifle — along with ammunition next to the exploded vehicle.

 

[Maat99]

Not to mention he owned or had access to the AK 47 and AR-style rifle found at the scene.

He was 25 years old. He himself is the only one to blame.

 

[Betty P]

He was 25 years old. He himself is the only one to blame.

Of course, but he never should have had access to those weapons. It sounds as though he had mental illness or severe psych problems.

 

[vls12345]

Palm Springs explosion: Remains found at scene positive match to suspect

One person is dead after a suspected bomb explosion in Palm Springs in what the FBI called an "intentional act of terrorism."

kesq.com

Remains found at the scene of Saturday's Palm Springs explosion were a positive match for the suspect after DNA testing, the FBI confirmed.

FBI officials have said they are "fairly confident" that 25-year-old Guy Edward Bartkus of Twentynine Palms was responsible for Saturday's bombing.