Clinton-era law ‘weaponized’ by Biden against pro-lifers must go: Pence-linked group

Former Vice President Mike Pence’s nonprofit conservative coalition, Americans Advancing Freedom (AAF), is calling on House Republicans to repeal the Clinton-era Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, which they argue unfairly targets pro-life activists.

The FACE Act, signed into law by President Bill Clinton in May 1994, makes it a federal crime to use force, threats, or obstruction to interfere with individuals seeking or providing abortion services. This includes blocking access to clinics, threatening or using violence against patients or clinic workers, and damaging abortion-related property.

President Donald Trump recently 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 individuals who had been charged with violating the FACE Act by the Biden administration’s Department of Justice. Trump stated that these advocates “should not have been prosecuted.”

In response to these actions, the AAF is urging Congress to repeal the FACE Act entirely to end what they call the weaponization of the law against pro-life Americans. They argue that the Biden administration has used the FACE Act to conduct early morning SWAT team raids, impose unjust prison sentences, and mistreat pro-life activists.

During a recent House Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight hearing titled “Entering the Golden Age: Ending the Weaponization of the Justice Department,” Peter Breen, an attorney and executive vice president at the Christian nonprofit law firm Thomas More Society, testified about his client’s experience with SWAT raids and a lengthy prison sentence under the Biden administration’s enforcement of the FACE Act.

Rep. Chip Roy of Texas has reintroduced legislation to repeal the FACE Act, with data showing that 97% of prosecutions under the law between 1994 and 2024 targeted pro-life individuals. Roy has garnered support from 32 co-sponsors in the House, and Sen. Mike Lee of Utah has introduced companion legislation in the Senate.

The AAF and conservative lawmakers see the repeal of the FACE Act as a critical step in advancing the pro-life movement, especially in light of President Trump’s recent actions to revoke executive orders expanding abortion services. The new administration has reaffirmed the policy established by the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the use of federal taxpayer dollars for elective abortions.

With the support of lawmakers in both the House and Senate, efforts to repeal the FACE Act are gaining momentum. The AAF and advocates for pro-life activists are hopeful that Congress will take action to protect the rights of individuals engaged in anti-abortion advocacy.