DOJ Report Claims Biden Administration Targeted Pro-Life Individuals
A recent report from the Department of Justice (DOJ) suggests that the Biden administration used federal laws against pro-life Americans.
The DOJ’s Weaponization Working Group produced a nearly 900-page document detailing how the previous administration reportedly applied the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act against pro-life advocates, using over 700,000 internal records for reference.
The FACE Act, which was established in 1994, aims to prevent obstruction that interferes with access to “reproductive health services,” as well as protect religious freedoms at places of worship, among other details.
The report claims various misconducts were involved in the Biden administration’s enforcement of the FACE Act, which include:
- Cooperation with pro-abortion organizations to monitor the First Amendment activities of pro-life advocates.
- Prosecutors allegedly suppressing evidence requested by defense attorneys, attempting to select jurors based on their religious beliefs, and enforcing aggressive arrest methods rather than permitting pro-life activists to turn themselves in.
- Assisting a pro-abortion group in obtaining financial support.
- Seeking harsher penalties for pro-life defendants compared to “violent” pro-abortion defendants.
- Infringing on American rights through biased FACE Act enforcement.
“This Department will not tolerate a two-tiered system of justice,” declared Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “No Department should conduct selective prosecution based on beliefs. The weaponization that happened under the Biden Administration will not happen again, as we restore integrity to our prosecutorial system.”
The report indicates that several abortion-rights organizations, like the National Abortion Federation and Planned Parenthood, provided crucial information leading to investigations of anti-abortion activists. It mentions that federal prosecutors communicated with these groups while monitoring certain activists before any charges were made.
The DOJ also pointed out that the lead prosecutor in the FACE Act cases acted as a reference for a private grant application by the National Abortion Federation, a move that lacked ethical approval.
Under the Biden administration, the DOJ asked for an average sentence of 26.8 months for pro-life defendants, while the average sentence sought for pro-abortion defendants was far lower at around 12.3 months. Consequently, pro-life defendants faced an average sentence of 14 months, compared to the three-month average for pro-abortion defendants.
“Though the Act was meant to safeguard both pro-choice and pro-life facilities, the Biden DOJ backed abortion clinics extensively while neglecting vandalism and attacks on pregnancy resource centers,” stated the DOJ.
In another instance, the DOJ prosecuted a father whose teenage son was assaulted by an abortion clinic worker. Instead of allowing the father to self-surrender, 16 FBI agents executed an arrest at his residence. The DOJ later settled a civil lawsuit concerning their alleged misconduct.
Alongside detailing these instances of legal overreach by the Biden DOJ, the report outlined corrective measures taken during President Donald Trump’s administration, such as:
- Trump issuing pardons to several pro-life individuals targeted during the Biden administration.
- The DOJ resolving civil lawsuits to address these injustices and taking actions against responsible personnel.
- Dismissing three civil lawsuits against pro-life advocates.
- Implementing stricter guidelines for abortion-related civil actions under the FACE Act.
- Reviewing around 700,000 internal records, with Blanche allowing a limited waiver of privileged information for public access.
A government official informed CBS News that at least four prosecutors involved in FACE Act cases during the last administration were terminated, including Sanjay Patel, who headed a national task force focused on pro-lifers shortly after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.
“The behavior unearthed in this report is shameful,” commented Assistant Attorney General Daniel Burrows of the Office of Legal Policy.
“Lawyers who should have known better withheld evidence, worked to keep committed religious people off juries, and generally allowed the Department of Justice to serve as an enforcement arm for pro-abortion special interests,” he added.
