A pro-life attorney testified during a House hearing that the Biden administration's Department of Justice (DOJ) engaged in a 'systematic campaign' against pro-life protesters charged with violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act in 2020. The attorney alleged that 23 pro-life activists were prosecuted and sentenced to prison, with President Trump later pardoning them.
The hearing, titled 'Entering the Golden Age: Ending the Weaponization of the Justice Department,' included testimonies from various legal experts and a federal prosecutor. The attorney representing the pro-life activists praised Trump's pardons, stating that they sent a 'powerful message' against the weaponization of the federal government.
The DOJ had accused the pro-life activists of violating the FACE Act by using force and physical obstruction during a clinic blockade. The defendants were alleged to have caused injury to a clinic nurse and prevented patients from accessing abortion services. However, opponents of the FACE Act argue that it infringes on the First Amendment rights and unfairly targets anti-abortion activists.
The pro-life attorney called on Congress to repeal the FACE Act and work with the new Administration to define the proper scope of laws to protect the rights of pro-life Americans. The hearing also discussed an FBI memo regarding racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists with ties to radical-traditionalist Catholic ideology.
