(LifeSiteNews) — The convictions late last month of a group of pro-life advocates for a peaceful protest at a Tennessee abortion facility have sparked calls from major pro-life leaders to repeal the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, which many conservatives criticize for having been unfairly deployed against advocates for the unborn.
On January 30, six pro-life advocates were convicted on federal felony charges for their involvement in a 2021 “rescue” effort at an abortion facility near Nashville, Tennessee. The convictions carry a maximum sentence of nearly 11 years behind bars and come despite the fact that the facility at which the protest was held has since been forced to stop offering abortions thanks to Tennessee’s pro-life laws.
In a Wednesday letter obtained by The Daily Signal, a bevy of high-profile leaders urged lawmakers to work to scrap the FACE Act in the wake of the convictions, arguing the 1994 law is “unconstitutional” and has been “weaponized” against pro-life advocates.
“[W]e respectfully urge you to take immediate legislative action to protect peaceful pro-life activists from the Biden administration’s weaponized Department of Justice and an unconstitutional law,” the letter reads.
