I started and grew 40 Days for Life, which has become the largest grassroots initiative in the pro-life movement’s history. Over the first decade, I gathered over 2,000 leaders and 750,000 volunteers to conduct peaceful prayers outside abortion clinics across all 50 states and in various other countries. Unfortunately, these individuals are exactly who the Biden Justice Department has targeted for prosecution.
In early April, President Donald Trump’s Justice Department launched a Weaponization Task Force and produced a significant 882-page report based on over 700,000 internal documents. This report validates what pro-life advocates have long feared: the U.S. Department of Justice colluded with the National Abortion Federation, Planned Parenthood, and the Feminist Majority Foundation to monitor, compile secret files about, and pursue legal action against peaceful pro-life supporters.
The stark reality presented in the report is troubling. Instances of pro-life activists facing charges resulted in the Biden Justice Department urging judges for prison sentences that exceeded those of individuals who firebombed or vandalized pregnancy centers and churches. For each prosecution of a pro-abortion criminal, there were 15 cases involving pro-life activists. Remarkably, a grandmother praying the rosary on the sidewalk was deemed more threatening than an arsonist attacking a pregnancy center.
After the draft Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade leaked in May 2022, a group named Jane’s Revenge threatened a “Summer of Fury.” The warning was apparent. There were reports of 96 pregnancy resource centers and 393 Catholic churches being attacked with incendiary devices or vandalized.
It’s disheartening to note that during these events, the statue of the Virgin Mary was beheaded, and a church’s door was set on fire. Messages like “If Abortion Isn’t Safe, You’re Not Safe” appeared on the walls of a nonprofit organization that relies on volunteers to provide crucial services like free ultrasounds and diapers to expectant mothers. Yet, the Justice Department remained inactive despite warnings about these incidents.
Police even sent a SWAT team to the home of Mark Houck, a 40 Days for Life volunteer, at dawn, brandishing an assault weapon in front of his wife and seven children. Fortunately, through the efforts of the Thomas More Society, he was acquitted. The presiding judge remarked that the law had been “stretched a little thin,” essentially acknowledging the excessive nature of the charges.
Additionally, a recent report indicates a special committee within the Civil Rights Division, led by Sanjay Patel, was compiling private files on pro-life advocates who hadn’t been charged with any wrongdoing. Some of these files included photos of the activists’ children. Although Patel and others involved were ultimately dismissed, the damage had been done. President Trump pardoned several wrongfully convicted individuals early in his term, but the road to restoring justice remains long.
Throughout my life, I’ve collaborated closely with these individuals. I’ve stood in the rain alongside Christians praying outside abortion facilities and worked with the directors of pregnancy centers committed to their mission. Many of us prayed together at sanctuaries that had been desecrated during this tumultuous time. The climate was genuinely fearful, and the pressures from Washington only heightened that anxiety.
While we appreciate the attention this issue has received, it’s essential to recognize that ending these prosecutions doesn’t equate to completing the work needed. The Biden Justice Department may not have initiated the disdain for praying Christians or pregnancy centers, but it certainly highlighted how ingrained this attitude has become within various institutions training future lawyers, reporters, doctors, and federal prosecutors. Simply shifting administrations won’t suddenly reshape these pervasive mindsets.
We must not overlook this somber chapter in our nation’s history. There was a time when people of faith and pro-life supporters had every reason to fear for their livelihoods, reputations, freedoms, and, in some instances, their very lives. Congress ought to investigate the partnerships between federal prosecutors and pro-abortion lobbying groups and implement reforms to prevent a recurrence of such situations.
The FACE Act, too, warrants thorough examination. Pro-life individuals subjected to legal challenges deserve to have their records cleared and their dignity restored. Those who misused the Department of Justice against Americans simply trying to preserve human life owe an overdue reckoning.
Despite the adversities faced, those who stood peacefully on the sidewalks never abandoned their faith in America, even when the government seemed to turn against them. We should remain dedicated to rebuilding our nation, grounded in the principle of the right to life.
