Rep. Chip Roy / Gage Skidmore / Flickr
The House Judiciary Committee voted 13-10 Tuesday to advance legislation that would repeal the controversial Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, a law which has been disproportionately weaponized to jail peaceful pro-life activists.
Rep. Chip Roy, R-TX, who introduced HR 589 in January, urged the committee to put an end to what he called politically motivated prosecutions ahead of Tuesday’s vote.
“The politicized nature of these prosecutions cannot be ignored,” Roy said. “HR 589 eliminates the possibility that everyday Americans can face felony convictions for peaceful acts such as sidewalk counseling or signing hymns. Passage of this bill is a crucial and necessary step.”
“Having a statute such as this in place is begging for it to be politicized,” Roy continued. “It was politicized, and Americans have been put in prison as a result of their beliefs. And it should not remain in place.”
Originally enacted in 1994, the FACE Act criminalizes interference with access to abortion clinics. But as CatholicVote previously reported, 97% of FACE Act prosecutions have targeted pro-life individuals — many for nonviolent protests, including prayer outside abortion facilities.
CatholicVote Director of Government Affairs Tom McClusky praised the committee’s action Tuesday.
“When the FACE Act was first passed in the ‘90s, both Democratic and Republican administrations avoided using it, questioning its constitutionality,” McClusky said. “It wasn’t until Barack Obama started using it to attack pro-lifers, and then Joe Biden’s Justice Department ultra-weaponized it, that a growing consensus realized that the FACE Act needed to go, as well over 90% of its targets were peaceful pro-lifers.”
“Rep. Chip Roy has been the champion of repeal — and it is past time the whole House votes to rid ourselves of this ugly weapon,” he concluded.
In January, President Donald Trump pardoned nearly two dozen pro-lifers unjustly prosecuted under the FACT Act by the Biden administration Department of Justice (DOJ). Some individuals faced several years in prison for peaceful protesting and sidewalk counseling.
Ahead of Tuesday’s vote, a coalition of major pro-life groups — including CatholicVote — sent a letter to the Judiciary Committee voicing strong support for repeal.
“Repealing the FACE Act in its entirety is an excellent step in ensuring that never again will pro-life activists have the FBI knock on their front door simply for standing up for the most vulnerable in society,” the letter stated.
The bill now heads to the House floor for a full vote.
