The Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a lawsuit against two pro-life organizations, Citizens for a Pro-Life Society and Red Rose Rescue, as well as seven individuals for allegedly obstructing access to an abortion clinic in Ohio in 2021. The complaint alleges that the defendants violated the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, which prohibits physical force, threats, or property damage to prevent someone from obtaining or providing abortion services.
The lawsuit stems from two incidents that occurred on June 4 and 5, 2021, at the Northeast Ohio Women’s Center in Cuyahoga Falls and an Ohio Planned Parenthood in Bedford Heights Surgery Center. Prosecutors allege that the defendants entered the facilities, handed out roses to patients, and pleaded with them not to go through with abortions. Some of the defendants are also accused of using physical force to block patients from entering or leaving the clinics. Police were called to both incidents and arrested several of the activists.
The Justice Department is seeking $5,000 in damages for each person affected and fines of up to $20,516 for each defendant. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in a statement, “Obstructing people from accessing reproductive health care and physically obstructing providers from offering it are unlawful. The Civil Rights Division is committed to enforcing federal law to protect the rights of those who seek and those who provide access to reproductive health services.”
The lawsuit is the latest in a series of actions by the Biden administration to protect abortion access. The administration has also supported legislation to codify Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide, and has taken steps to ensure that federal employees have access to abortion services.
The lawsuit is likely to face challenges from pro-life groups, who argue that the FACE Act is unconstitutional and that the Justice Department is overreaching in its enforcement of the law. The case could also have implications for other states that have passed laws restricting abortion access.
