February 6, 2024
Pro-life activists could face up to a decade in prison according to a news report from Fox News. The six activists were arrested in 2021 for peacefully praying and singing hymns in an abortion clinic in Nashville, Tennessee. This recent news reflects a larger pattern of a less-than-subtle war being waged against the Pro-Life Generation, traditional Catholics, Christians, and other right-wing groups dedicated to protecting preborn children.
To name a few incidents:
- In October 2020, operated by the late-term abortionist Cesare Santangelo, five protestors were found guilty of FACE Act violations at the Washington Surgi-Clinic.
- A pro-life protestor named Mark Houck was arrested at his home in front of his children in 2022 for protesting peacefully outside of a Planned Parenthood facility.
- A Students for Life of America (SFLA) staff member was likewise arrested for sidewalk-chalking on a public street in front of an abortion facility in Washington D.C. in 2021. Thankfully, in 2023, the courts ruled in favor of SFLA.
Students for Life Action (SFLAction) has been working to support legislation to fight back against nakedly one-sided weaponization of the law. Here’s what you need to know about The FACE Act Repeal Act of 2023, H.R. 5577, sponsored by Congressman Chip Roy (R-TX-21).
What’s at Stake:
Signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1994, the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act makes it a federal crime to: use force, threat of force, or physical obstruction to prevent women from obtaining “reproductive health services,” which include abortions. It also prohibits damaging or destroying a reproductive health services facility.
However, many pro-life groups and supporters have faced violence. A report by the Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC) showcased “over 22 times more violence directed against pro-life groups than pro-choice organizations.”
Since the Dobbs decision in 2022, more than 100 pro-life organizations, churches, and pregnancy centers have been attacked or vandalized, according to Fox News. A separate report from Christianity Today identified this occurrence across 24 states.
In January 2022, SFLAction President, Kristan Hawkins penned an op-ed in Newsweek explaining the extend of this emerging trend:
“Threats and acts of violence against pro-life activists are becoming increasingly common. Students for Life students and team members have endured everything from physical attacks and arson to bomb threats and intimidation, making security issues a vital concern and expense for pro-life events. When Justice Brett Kavanaugh—who was seen as a possible pro-life vote—was confirmed to the Supreme Court, protestors stormed the Court, banging on the doors. Outside the U.S., violent protests broke out in Poland and Latin America when those countries contemplated pro-life policies. Antifa has protested my own speaking tours … Some abortion supporters are pairing their advocacy for the violence of abortion with violent acts, which have a definite chilling effect on public discourse that must be overcome. When people are afraid to use their free speech rights, those rights don’t truly exist.”
READ THE FULL OP-ED IN NEWSWEEK: Roe at Almost 50: What’s Next for Abortion in America | Opinion
What The Legislation Does:
The FACE Act Repeal Act of 2023, H.R. 5577, if signed into law, would repeal “provisions of federal criminal law that prohibit conduct intended to injure, intimidate, or interfere with persons who are seeking to obtain or provide reproductive health services.”
What We Have Said About the Issue:
In addition to standing with Rep. Chip Roy for his introduction of FACE Act Repeal Act of 2023, H.R. 5577, SFLAction and SFLA have written extensively about the issue, including numerous blogs:
- Students for Life Action joins Rep. Chip Roy’s Call for an End to the FACE Act; misused by a Weaponized Department of Justice
- Students for Life Action Applauds House Judiciary Committee for “Tackling the Viewpoint Discrimination Poisoning the Department of Justice As Seen in the Abuse of the FACE Act”
- Students for Life Action Demands Accountability from FBI on Abuse of the FACE Act Through Satirist Street Theater
- SFLAction Calls for the end of the FACE Act that Represents the “Long-Term Hostility of Democrats in Our Nation’s Capital to Peaceful Pro-Life Citizens”
- Justice Hasn’t Been Served for Pro-Abortion Vandals, SFLAction Signs on to DOJ Lawsuit Demanding Transparency in Violence Against Pro-Life Gen
SFLAction has also submitted several letters calling for support for the FACE Act:
- SFLAction Letter to the Hill: Vote in Favor of the FACE Act Repeal Act of 2023 H.R. 5577
- Students for Life Action Will Score Rep. Chip Roy’s Call to End the Abuse of the FACE Act; a “Blunt Instrument in the Hands of a Weaponized Department of Justice”
- SFLAction Supports Letter to the FBI After Concerns of FACE Act Abuse
Stay tuned to this blog for future updates as we track the progress of this legislation.
To urge your Senator or Congressman to support the repeal of The FACE Act, click HERE.
And to learn more about other legislation moving through Congress that SFLAction supports, CLICK HERE.