The FBI has raided the home of a pro-life activist in connection with a protest that took place in March of 2021. Other participants at the event were also told to turn themselves into their local authorities to face charges, according to Live Action.
The move resembled another raid from late September that the FBI carried out in which they stormed pro-life author Mark Houck’s home with guns drawn, seizing his belongings in front of his screaming children.
In this case, pro-life activist Chet Gallagher was the victim, though he happened to be out of town when the raid occurred. The FBI then started asking his neighbors questions in an effort to locate him.
In early March of 2021, a group of individuals committed to saving the lives of preborn children visited the Carafem abortion facility in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, as part of a “rescue” — an event meant to reach women seeking abortion, to persuade them to choose life for their preborn children instead. Today, October 5, 2022, that event of more than a year ago culminated in a visit from the FBI to at least one of the activist’s homes. Other individuals, who either participated or were merely present at the facility that day, were ordered to report to their local authorities to be charged under the federal FACE (Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances ) Act along with charges of conspiracy.
The event in March 2021 was reportedly peaceful, with participants lining the inside hallway of a shared general medical office building which, in one area, houses the Carafem abortion facility. The rescuers who were gathered that day prayed and sang, and the event was nonviolent. Some recorded the events on video. Several participants were arrested by local police that day and were later released after posting bail for misdemeanor trespass charges.
The FACE Act is unconstitutional garbage, and the overreach being applied by the FBI will hopefully lead to it finally making its way to the Supreme Court. A peaceful protest is a peaceful protest, and though authorities might have the ability to remove people, the idea that the DOJ should be able to sweep in with federal charges is insane.
In this case, it’s not even clear whether the FACE Act was violated, though. According to the report, the protesters were in the hallway of a shared medical building that housed the abortion clinic. Were they blocking people from entering the abortion clinic itself? Further, the videos taken of the event show the protesters singing and praying, not intimidating or interfering with anyone.
It gets worse, though. Instead of just charging Gallegher under the FACE Act, which could result in up to a year in jail and hefty fines simply for exercising their First Amendment right, the DOJ also threw in conspiracy charges. That means he could go to prison for 10 years. Think about that. The DOJ is now charging people with conspiracy for planning pro-life protests.
Naturally, the same DOJ and FBI have found no suspects regarding the numerous cases of pro-life organizations being attacked since the Dobbs decisions first leaked. This is a war that only goes one direction, and it’s meant to bolster abortion by intimidating normal Americans from speaking out and trying to persuade women to choose life. Meanwhile, a pro-life activist was shot in Michigan, and again, the federal government has no interest.
Right now, Christopher Wray and Merrick Garland are using their corrupt bureaucracies to act as enforcers for the pro-abortion left. The pro-life movement must not back down in the face of this aggression. To do so would be catastrophic.