436 Churches Were Attacked in 2023, Zero Prosecuted

Under the Biden-Harris administration, not a single church has been protected under the 1994 Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, despite hundreds of attacks on houses of worship.

At a House Judiciary hearing on Wednesday, Representative Chip Roy revealed that out of 55 defendants charged under the FACE Act, 92% were pro-life advocates, and none were related to attacks on churches.

The FACE Act, signed into law by President Bill Clinton, explicitly targets violence or vandalism against religious sites, with penalties including jail time and fines. Yet, since its passage, no church has been protected under this law.

Representative Roy condemned the selective enforcement of the FACE Act, noting that the Biden administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) has disproportionately targeted pro-life Americans.

“To this day, the FACE Act has never been used in defense of a church since it was passed in 1994,” said Roy. In all, 50 of the 55 defendants were pro-life, and the department obtained 34 convictions, according to data from the Biden DOJ.

In 2023 alone, there were 436 attacks on churches, including vandalism, arson, and threats, with zero prosecutions under the FACE Act.

“Those who hate wisdom love death,” said Representative Harriet Hageman who paraphrased Proverbs 8:36. “And I think that’s what we’re dealing with here.”

Erin Hawley from Alliance Defending Freedom testified that attacks on churches have surged since the leak of the Dobbs decision in 2022, yet the FACE Act has never been used to defend religious sites.

The Family Research Council identified 436 church attacks in 2023 alone which reveals a whopping 800% increase over six years! In contrast, pro-life pregnancy centers have faced similar hostility, with fire bombings and threats aimed at their offices.

The hearing also shed light on the Biden administration’s weaponization of the FACE Act against pro-life individuals.

Steve Crampton of the Thomas More Society explained that the DOJ has gone as far as invoking the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 to accuse pro-life advocates of conspiring to deprive others of rights.

Despite the evidence, Democrats at the hearing accused Republicans of inciting violence against abortion providers by seeking to repeal the FACE Act, arguing that repealing the law would encourage pro-life individuals to act with violence.

Critics, which including those from the Thomas More Society, argued that the FACE Act is unconstitutional and should be overturned, citing its uneven application and the lack of a federal constitutional right to abortion.

Roy introduced legislation to repeal the FACE Act, calling for reforms to restore impartiality to the DOJ. He emphasized that the next administration must reverse the wrongful prosecutions of pro-life advocates, with President Trump pledging to pardon those unjustly targeted.

Unequal enforcement of the law constitutes tyranny, says Roy, and that true justice requires permanent reform of federal agencies.

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