FACE Act Hearing Illuminates the Disparate Convictions of Pro-Lifers and Pro-Abortion Vandals
By: Savannah Deretich, originally published December 20, 2024, Students for Life Action
The House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on “Revisiting the Implications of the FACE Act: Part II.” Led by Chairmen Chip Roy (R-TX) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), they addressed the significant concerns with the uptick of pro-life prosecutions from the Biden administration and the Department of Justice (DOJ), weaponizing the FACE Act against peaceful pro-life advocates. Witnesses included Senior Counsel and Vice President at Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) Erin Hawley, Senior Counsel at the Thomas More Society Steve Crampton, and Paul Vaughn, a pro-life advocate and FACE Act victim, as well as Jessica L. Waters, pro-choice professor at American University.
Reps. Roy and Jordan shed light on a dozen prosecutions of pro-life advocates and next to none for the pro-abortion vandals who have firebombed and destroyed over a hundred Pregnancy Health Centers (PHC) since Dobbs. Despite this crucial information, Democrat members in the hearing, specifically Mary Gay Scanlon, said that abortion facilities would face harm and violence if the FACE Act were repealed and broadly blamed Project 2025 without truly diving deep into how the “offense” of praying violates the First Amendment.
Despite the mischaracterization of pro-lifers, Rep. Roy showed thousands of petitions to add to the record of the hearing from Students for Life Action (SFLAction), showing immense support for repealing the FACE Act. Even though Congress members are overwhelmed by a budget needing to pass before Christmas, Republican leadership in the U.S. House sees the great need to highlight the atrocities. The Pro-Life Generation (PLG) wants to see President-elect Donald Trump, after he swears into office, pardon these peaceful pro-life Americans and Congress to repeal the FACE Act.
Savannah Deretich is the Government Affairs Coordinator with Students for Life Action.