(ConservativeSense.com) – Texas Senator Ted Cruz has accused the Department of Justice (DOJ) of targeting pro-life activists following the conviction of five protestors at a clinic in Washington, DC. On August 30, Cruz also said the DOJ has turned a blind eye to attacks on pro-life groups and failed to investigate crimes against anti-abortion pregnancy centers.
The senator’s condemnation came a day after Lauren Handy, Herb Geraghty, Heather Idoni, William Goodman, and John Hinshaw were convicted of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act at a DC clinic in 2020. The activists, who face a potential 11-year jail term, said the clinic was carrying out full-term abortions.
The FACE legislation was signed by President Bill Clinton in 1994 and outlawed the use of force, obstruction, intimidation, or any attempts to interfere with access to an abortion clinic.
Lauren Handy and the other defendants were found guilty of using chains and ropes to block entry to the Washington Surgi-Clinic in October 2020. The protestors are members of the Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAAU), of which Lauren Handy is director.
In a separate incident, neighbors reported “potential biohazard material” at a private residence near Capitol Hill. Upon investigation, police found five dead fetuses and determined that the residence was Lauren Handy’s. PAAU reacted unashamedly and acknowledged they have over 100 more fetuses they are preparing to baptize and bury in a private cemetery.
Meanwhile, Senator Cruz complained that despite the DOJ’s robust prosecution of those accused of violating the FACE Act, it does little about attacks on pro-life demonstrators and organizations. Cruz said at least 88 pro-life groups and pregnancy resource centers have been attacked since the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022.
Pro-abortion rights activists promised a “summer of rage” in the wake of the Supreme Court decision, and anti-abortion protestors say they lived up to that promise with little legal consequence. The Catholic Vote organization says the “rage” began one day after the court’s ruling.
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