A U.S. House subcommittee held an important hearing on Wednesday, December 18, 2024, examining the U.S. Department of Justice’s weaponization of the FACE Act against pro-life supporters.
The U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government held the hearing, “Revisiting the Implications of the FACE Act: Part II,” to “examine the Biden-Harris Department of Justice’s unequal application of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.”
Witnesses for the hearing included:
Erin Hawley, senior counsel and vice president, Alliance Defending Freedom
Steve Crampton, senior counsel, Thomas More Society
Paul Vaughn, pro-life advocate
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, as chairman of the subcommittee, began the hearing with a brief opening statement.
“The rule of law demands an equal application of the law without fear or favor,” Rep. Roy said. “The FACE Act is a federal law originally designed to equally protect access to abortion clinics, pregnancy resource centers, and places of worship, by prohibiting threats of force, obstruction and property damage.”
He continued,
The representative noted that around 400 violent attacks have been carried out on pregnancy resource centers and churches since the Dobbs decision in 2022, included vandalism, destruction of property and firebombing.
“Since the start of the Biden-Harris administration, until May 2024, the DOJ had brought 24 FACE Act cases against 55 defendants, with only two of these cases concerning attacks on pregnancy resources centers. To this day, the FACE Act has never been used in defense of a church.”
The rest of the cases have been targeted against largely peaceful pro-life supporters.
Because of this disparity, Rep. Roy called on President-elect Trump to consider pardoning all peaceful pro-life supporters who have been targeted by the DOJ once he takes office on January 20, 2025.
In her testimony, ADF Senior Counsel Erin Hawley, vice president of the ADF Center for Life and Regulatory Practice, said, “The Biden DOJ has weaponized the act to target pro-life advocates.”
You can watch a brief clip of her testimony below:
Pro-life activist Paul Vaughn was prosecuted for praying outside of an abortion clinic in Nashville, Tennessee. The FBI sent a SWAT team to arrest him in an early morning raid of his home, in front of his wife and 11 children. He was later sentenced to six months home confinement and three years of probation.
“On October 5, 2022, at 7 a.m., my house was assaulted, my wife and children were terrorized, and I was kidnapped at gunpoint by four armed men,” Vaughn testified, adding,
You can watch the hearing in full below:
The FACE Act has been unjustly used by the DOJ to target its ideological opponents. It is past time the DOJ and FBI’s abuse of power comes to an end.
Hopefully, that will come to an end as soon as January 20, 2025, when new leadership takes over the executive branch. President-elect Trump has nominated Pam Bondi to serves as his attorney general, leading the U.S. Department of Justice, and Kash Patel to serve as his director of the FBI.
Perhaps then, the Justice Department will target real criminals.
Congress should also consider repealing the FACE Act to make sure the federal government’s weaponization of this act never happens again. True justice demands nothing less.
Related articles and resources:
Pro-Life Grandmother Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Abortion Clinic Protest
Alleged Criminal Abortionist Goes Free While Pro-Life Activists Sentenced to Prison
Four More Pro-Life Supporters Found Guilty, Face Prison Time for Peaceful Abortion Clinic Protest
Six Pro-Life Supporters Found Guilty, Face 11 Years in Prison for Peaceful Abortion Clinic Protest
Pro-Life Activist Mark Houck Sues FBI and DOJ for ‘Malicious Prosecution’
‘Not Guilty’: Pro-Life Hero Mark Houck Acquitted in DOJ Lawsuit
Photo from Getty Images.
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