With 97% of FACE Act prosecutions targeting pro-life protesters, Republicans are ramping up efforts to repeal the law they claim the Biden Administration has weaponized to silence dissent and put Grandmothers in Prison.
Republicans are renewing efforts to repeal the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, a federal law they claim the Biden administration has weaponized to jail peaceful pro-life activists. Leading the charge are Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), who introduced repeal legislation in 2023 and are now pressing their GOP colleagues to take action.
Roy criticized the Biden Justice Department for disproportionately using the FACE Act against pro-life protesters while neglecting cases involving attacks on pro-life pregnancy centers and churches.
“Biden’s Department of Justice has brazenly weaponized the FACE Act against normal everyday Americans … simply because they are pro-life,” Roy stated. “Republicans are going to have to get the nerve to actually stand up for both free speech and life.”
The FACE Act, signed by President Bill Clinton in 1994, was intended to prevent “violent, threatening, damaging, and obstructive conduct” targeting abortion clinics, pregnancy centers, and churches. However, data suggests an overwhelming bias in enforcement:
- Between 1994 and 2024, **97% of all FACE Act cases targeted pro-life activists**, according to data cited by Roy’s office.
- Under the Biden administration, **over 55 FACE Act cases have been prosecuted**, with only five involving attacks on pro-life facilities.
Critics argue this enforcement trend reveals a double standard. Pro-life activists have faced FBI raids, harsh sentences, and even charges under a KKK-era "conspiracy against rights" statute, while incidents of violence against pregnancy centers, which spiked following the overturning of *Roe v. Wade*, have seen minimal prosecution.
Pro-life advocates, including elderly and disabled individuals, have been jailed under the FACE Act for peaceful demonstrations involving prayer and song outside abortion clinics. Among them is Lauren Handy, a Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAAU) activist sentenced to years in prison.
Mark Houck, a Catholic father of seven, was also charged under the FACE Act but was ultimately found not guilty. His case became a rallying cry for critics of the law, highlighting what they view as its misuse to target peaceful dissent.
Legal experts argue that the FACE Act may no longer be constitutional following the Supreme Court’s 2022 *Dobbs* decision, which overturned the federal right to abortion.
“Under our constitutional system … police powers are generally left to the states,” explained Andrew Bath of the Thomas More Society, which has represented pro-life activists in several FACE Act cases. “There is no sweeping grant of police powers to the federal government under the Constitution.”
Roy is urging Republicans to prioritize repeal efforts in the wake of the midterm elections.
“We’re after the election now, so I feel like we ought to put it out there this year. Go ahead and vote on it so that more Americans can’t get persecuted,” Roy said, adding that with GOP control, the bill should advance.
While the repeal push faces steep odds in the Democrat-controlled Senate and a likely Biden veto, the campaign underscores growing Republican criticism of what they call a “weaponized” justice system. For pro-life advocates, repealing the FACE Act is not only a fight for their movement but a broader battle over free speech and federal overreach.
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