In an exclusive report from Fox News, it has been revealed that the conservative nonprofit coalition, Americans Advancing Freedom (AAF), led by former Vice President Mike Pence, is calling on House Republicans to halt the misuse of a law from the Clinton era.
The AAF argues that this law is being unjustly used against pro-life activists.
The law in question, the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, was enacted in May 1994 under the Clinton administration. It criminalizes the use of force, threats, or obstruction to interfere with individuals seeking or providing abortion services.
This includes actions such as blocking access to clinics, threatening or using violence against patients or clinic workers, and damaging abortion-related property. According to Fox News, the AAF is urging for a repeal of this law, citing its misuse against pro-life advocates.
In a significant move, President Donald Trump, shortly after assuming office, pardoned nearly two dozen pro-life activists who were serving multiyear sentences for participating in 2020 pro-life demonstrations at abortion clinics.
Three of those pardoned were elderly. These activists had been charged with violating the FACE Act by the Department of Justice (DOJ) under the Biden administration. During the pardons, Trump stated that these advocates "should not have been prosecuted."
The AAF, in a memo to Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee, stated, "Congress must do its part to support President Trumps effort to end the weaponization of government by repealing the FACE Act in its entirety." The memo further accused the Biden administration of weaponizing the FACE Act against pro-life Americans, alleging that they faced "early morning SWAT team raids, unjust prison sentences, and alleged mistreatment while in custody."
Peter Breen, the executive vice president and head of litigation at the Christian nonprofit law firm Thomas More Society, testified at a House Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight hearing last month. He claimed that one of his clients had been subjected to such SWAT raids and a lengthy prison sentence. Breen accused the Biden DOJ of "engaging in a systematic campaign to abuse the power of the federal government against pro-life advocates."
Conservative lawmakers are now viewing the FACE Act as the next frontier in the pro-life movement, diverging from the previous administration's pro-abortion agenda. In January, Trump revoked two executive orders from the Biden administration that expanded abortion services, reaffirming the policy established by the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the use of federal taxpayer dollars for elective abortions.
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, introduced legislation to repeal the FACE Act around the same time. His office provided data showing that 97% of FACE Act prosecutions between 1994 and 2024 targeted pro-life individuals. This effort is backed by 32 co-sponsors in the House, and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, introduced companion legislation in the Senate.
In 2023, it was reported by several media outlets that the DOJ under the Biden administration initiated at least 15 criminal cases involving approximately 46 pro-life defendants under the FACE Act since January 2021. The victims in all but one case were supporters of abortion rights. This data further underscores the AAF's argument that the FACE Act is being weaponized against pro-life advocates.
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