On Wednesday, FBI Director Christopher Wray denied in his testimony to the House Judiciary Committee that the bureau has been targeting pro-life activists under the controversial Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.
When pressed by Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) about Paulette Harlow, a 75-year-old grandmother with a serious medical condition sentenced to two years in prison for attempting to persuade pregnant women not to get abortions, Wray replied that he was “not familiar with this specific case” and said he didn’t want to weigh in without knowing all the facts. Wray also mentioned that “since the Dobbs decision, actually more of our abortion-related violent extremism investigations have focused on violence against pro-life facilities as opposed to the other way around.”
However, according to the Catholic News Agency, data from the Department of Justice shows that, in 2022, 26 pro-life advocates were sentenced under the FACE Act, compared with just four pro-abortion activists, despite numerous attacks against pro-life groups and pregnancy centers after Roe’s overturn. In comparison, as of President Biden’s inauguration in January 2021, fewer than 100 people had been prosecuted under the FACE Act since its inception in 1994.
To read the full Catholic News Agency story and watch the video, click here.