Federal prosecutors have secured guilty pleas for pro-abortion vandalism charges in 2022, but there is still a long way to go to punish all of these crimes, according to a report by pro-life groups.
Ethan Skorik, a Texas man, pleaded guilty this week to violating the Freedom of Admission to Clinics Act (FACE) by writing slogans like “Forced Birth Is Murder” on a Pregnancy Resources building in May 2022. , the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced. announced Thursday. But the outgoing Biden administration is far from resolving dozens of similar cases. documented CatholicVote targets 21 pro-life activists under the FACE Act.
Texas defendant pleads guilty to violating Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Acthttps://t.co/1AZjEh3hG8
— Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division (@CivilRights) January 16, 2025
Catholic voting underway database Since the preemptive leak of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson opinion on May 2, 2022, there have been 95 reported instances of vandalism, arson, threats, and attacks against pro-life pregnancy resource centers and advocacy groups. . The leak sparked a pro-abortion protest outside the judge's office. The residence is a violation of federal law, and the Justice Department has reportedly directed U.S. marshals not to make any arrests.
Dobbs ruled that there is no constitutional right to abortion, overturning the court's landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.
According to a four-year report from the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division. was indicted 57 people for crimes against “reproductive health” centers, including both pro-life centers and abortion clinics.
The maximum penalties for a single first-time violation of the FACE Act are: one year Jail and fines.
One incident that sparked outrage in Congress was the Justice Department's raid on the home of Mark Hawk, a pro-life Catholic who pushed a man who was harassing his son outside an abortion clinic. . threatening Up to 11 years in prison under the FACE Act Fee. A jury acquitted Houck in January 2023.
Tuesday letter The Justice Department has arrested 21 people under President Joe Biden on charges of protesting and blocking access to abortion clinics, according to a letter sent to President-elect Donald Trump by the conservative law firm Thomas More Society. They say they have targeted and imprisoned “peaceful pro-life Americans.” One of the names in the letter was Paulette Harlow, a 75-year-old woman with severe health problems who was sentenced to two years in prison last June. (Related: Pro-life activist sentenced to 57 months in prison for blocking DC abortion clinic)
“Biden prosecutors have almost completely ignored the incendiary bombings and vandalism of hundreds of pro-life churches and pregnancy centers, but they have fiercely gone after pro-life Americans and co-opted the federal FACE Act.”・We obtained a conviction under the Klux Klan Act's “conspiracy'' charge. We object to the felony provisions of the Rights Company,'' the letter states. “But these people simply engaged in peaceful civil disobedience in the tradition of American civil rights activists.”
“We respectfully urge President Trump that all 21 individuals detailed herein are deserving of a full and unconditional pardon,” the law firm said in a statement.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the progress of resolving the pregnancy center vandalism case.
Outgoing Attorney General Merrick Garland told senators in March 2023 that pro-life demonstrators were protesting “in broad daylight,” making it difficult for the Justice Department to arrest them. “It's very easy,” he testified.
“The people who are attacking pregnancy resource centers are doing so at night, in the dark, and this is a big deal,” Garland told the Senate Judiciary Committee.
All content produced by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent, nonpartisan news distribution service, is available free of charge to legitimate news publishers with large audiences. All republished articles must include our logo, reporter byline, and DCNF affiliation. If you have any questions about our guidelines or our partnership, please contact us at licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
