The Department of Justice (DOJ) released a report on Tuesday accusing the Biden administration of weaponizing the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act to target pro-life activists. The report, compiled by the DOJ's Weaponization Working Group under the Trump administration, reviewed over 700,000 internal records and found evidence of biased enforcement, including coordination with pro-abortion groups and withholding of evidence in some cases.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated, 'This Department will not tolerate a two-tiered system of justice. No Department should conduct selective prosecution based on beliefs. The weaponization that happened under the Biden Administration will not happen again, as we restore integrity to our prosecutorial system.'
The report alleges that the Biden DOJ worked closely with organizations like Planned Parenthood, the National Abortion Federation, and the Feminist Majority Foundation to track pro-life activists. Prosecutors reportedly sought harsher sentences for pro-life defendants and, in some cases, withheld evidence from defense attorneys. The report also claims that jurors were screened based on religious beliefs and aggressive arrest tactics were used.
In response, the Trump administration fired four prosecutors tied to FACE Act cases. The DOJ confirmed the dismissals, stating that personnel responsible for 'weaponizing the FACE Act' had been terminated.
The FACE Act, enacted in 1994, prohibits threats, violence, or obstruction interfering with reproductive health services. The report notes that 97 percent of FACE Act cases since its inception have been against pro-life advocates, despite the law's intended neutrality.
The report also highlights that the Biden DOJ largely ignored attacks on pro-life pregnancy resource centers, charging only five individuals for vandalism and attacks, despite a surge in violence following the Supreme Court's 2022 Dobbs decision.