President-elect Trump was urged by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, to sign a bill that repeals a law used by the Biden administration to prosecute pro-life activists. (AP Photo/Getty Images)
"Now that we have a Republican trifecta in the House, Senate, and White House, Congress should move quickly to repeal this law and ensure that no future president can weaponize it against pro-lifers ever again."
The FACE Act makes it a federal crime to use "threats of force, obstruction or inflict property damage intended to interfere with reproductive health care services." The 1994 law has been used by President Biden's Justice Department to aggressively prosecute pro-life activists since the fall of Roe v. Wade, a landmark abortion rights case, in June 2022.
It has rarely been used against those who have attacked pro-life organizations and pregnancy resource centers. According to Roy's office, there have been at least 90 such attacks since May 2022, when draft text from the Supreme Court's repeal of Roe v. Wade leaked to the public. The Biden administration prosecuted only five individuals for attacks on pro-life facilities, while many incidents targeting Catholic churches and pro-life centers were never prosecuted.
Abortion rights activists rally at the Washington Monument before a march to the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on May 14, 2022. (JOSE LUIS MAGANA/AFP via Getty Images)
Ten defendants convicted of violating the FACE Act received prison sentences ranging from 10 months to 57 months for their participation in a 2020 "blockade" of an abortion clinic in Washington, D.C. In May, Paulette Harlow, 75, was issued a 2-year prison sentence, while Lauren Handy, 30, was sentenced to nearly five years in prison.
Trump has criticized the Biden administration for prosecuting these pro-life protesters and signaled he would consider granting them pardons.
Tom McClusky, director of government affairs for CatholicVote, called the prosecutions of pro-lifers under Biden "unfair" and praised Roy for introducing the repeal bill.
"Now that we have a President who will sign the bill into law it is time to pass Rep. Chip Roy's FACE Act Repeal," McClusky said in a statement.
FOUR MORE PRO-LIFE PROTESTERS FACE PRISON TIME AFTER BEING CONVICTED FOR VIOLATING FACE ACT
A pro-life demonstrator stands with his sign in front of EMW Women's Surgical Center, an abortion clinic, on May 8, 2021, in Louisville, Kentucky. ((Photo by Jon Cherry/Getty Images))
Students for Life Action also called on Congress to repeal the FACE Act, labeling the law "a weapon for the Department of Justice to use against those who peacefully protest against the human rights abuse of our day – abortion."
"In ignoring violent pro-abortion protesters to focus on peaceful pro-life prayer warriors, the hypocrisy couldn’t be clearer. The FACE Act represents viewpoint discrimination, as punishments are supersized because of the beliefs of those targeted by the government. This abuse of prosecutorial pro-abortion aggression must end," said Kristan Hawkins, President of Students for Life Action & Students for Life of America.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Roy expressed his hope that the Congress and administration would work quickly to advance his bill and pardon those he believes were unfairly treated.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
"While President Trump and his team are already fast at work reversing the damage of the J6 political prosecutions and persecutions through pardons and commutations, I am hopeful those targeted under the FACE Act will be given similar relief," Roy said. "But importantly, we in Congress need to do our part to eliminate the laws used for the weaponization, including the FACE Act. "
"No more excuses, let's get it done."
Fox News Digital's Kristine Parks contributed to this report.
Chris Pandolfo is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital. Send tips to chris.pandolfo@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @ChrisCPandolfo.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/roy-leads-house-republicans-effort-repeal-law-used-biden-administration-prosecute-pro-lifers