![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1770\/2026\/04\/small-vecteezy_pregnancy-test-and-birth-control-pills-with-ultrasound-scan_39089376_small-300x200.jpg\")
If you were pro-life during the Biden administration, the odds of being arrested and aggressively prosecuted with FACE Act violations were significantly higher than those of pro-abortion supporters. Trump\u2019s DOJ just released files showing the Biden administration weaponized its DOJ against pro-life supporters. This is not \u201cman bites dog\u201d news. Let\u2019s take a look.<\/p>\n
Unequal Application Of The Law<\/span><\/h2>\nAccording to the DOJ\u2019s Weaponization Working Group report released April 14, 2026, the Department concluded<\/a> that the Biden administration misused the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act in several ways. These findings are based on a review of more than 700,000 internal records. The DOJ report states that the Biden administration\u2019s Justice Department:<\/p>\nClosely collaborated with pro\u2011abortion organizations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- National Abortion Federation<\/li>\n
- Planned Parenthood<\/li>\n
- Feminist Majority Foundation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
These groups allegedly provided dossiers, evidence packets, and target lists to initiate investigations and obtain search warrants. Bloomberg\u2019s reporting on the same DOJ findings notes that the administration allegedly worked with abortion\u2011rights groups to compile evidence specifically against pro\u2011life activists, while downplaying attacks on pregnancy resource centers.<\/p>\n
Monitoring Pro\u2011Life Activists for Years<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- The DOJ report states that federal prosecutors and career attorneys monitored pro\u2011life activists for extended periods before bringing charges.<\/li>\n
- Requested information from abortion\u2011rights groups about activists\u2019 travel and constitutionally protected advocacy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Selective Enforcement of the FACE Act<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- The DOJ concluded that the Biden administration:\n
\n- Aggressively pursued FACE Act charges against pro\u2011life individuals.<\/li>\n
- Sought harsher prison sentences for pro\u2011life defendants.<\/li>\n
- Did not pursue or minimize investigations into vandalism and attacks on pro\u2011life pregnancy centers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The DOJ described this as creating a \u201ctwo\u2011tiered system of justice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Prosecutorial Misconduct<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- The DOJ report identified several internal issues:\n
\n- Prosecutors allegedly withheld evidence requested by defense teams.<\/li>\n
- Some attempted to screen out jurors based on religion.<\/li>\n
- Prosecutors authorized aggressive arrest tactics instead of allowing voluntary surrender.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Conflict of Interest Concerns<\/strong><\/p>\nThe DOJ report states that the lead prosecutor in each FACE Act case served as a reference<\/strong> for a National Abortion Federation grant application.<\/p>\nCorrective Actions Taken To Date<\/span><\/h2>\nThe DOJ under the current administration stated:<\/p>\n
\n- Some DOJ personnel were fired for their involvement in what the report described as weaponization.<\/li>\n
- Drop certain pending FACE Act cases against pro\u2011life activists.<\/li>\n
- Only pursue new FACE Act prosecutions under \u201cextraordinary circumstances.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the Department aims to restore public confidence and prevent selective prosecution based on beliefs.<\/p>\n
Egregious Prosecution Of Pro-Life Defendants<\/span><\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1770\/2026\/04\/small-vecteezy_judge-gavel-on-a-lawyer-desk_1223587_small-2-300x200.jpg\")
FACE Act charges against pro-life supporters were prosecuted more aggressively and unfairly by the Biden DOJ \u2013 image courtesy of Vecteezy.com.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe Tennessee Rescue Case<\/h3>\n
On March 5, 2021, a group of 11 pro-life activists conducted what they called a \u201crescue<\/a>\u201d at the Carafem Health Center in Mount Juliet, Tennessee:<\/p>\n\n- They sat in the hallway, sang hymns, prayed, and spoke to women entering the clinic.<\/li>\n
- The DOJ describes this as a blockade that prevented at least one patient and one employee from entering.<\/li>\n
- The event was livestreamed on Facebook.<\/li>\n
- Local police arrested several participants that day for misdemeanor trespassing, normally a low\u2011level charge with minimal bail.<\/li>\n
- More than a year later, the DOJ unsealed a federal indictment charging 11 individuals with felony charges (for 7 defendants):\n
\n- Conspiracy against rights<\/li>\n
- FACE Act violations<\/li>\n
- The felony conspiracy charge alone carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Misdemeanor FACE Act charges (for 4 defendants)<\/li>\n
- The FBI arrived at one activist\u2019s home with guns drawn.<\/li>\n
- Ordered others to report for federal processing<\/li>\n
- This escalation became a major point of controversy because the underlying conduct was a nonviolent sit\u2011in.<\/li>\n
- A federal jury convicted six of the defendants on:\n
\n- FACE Act violations (misdemeanor)<\/li>\n
- Felony conspiracy against rights (10\u2011year maximum)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The defendants in this case sat in a hallway singing hymns, prayed, and spoke to women entering the clinic. The initial charges of misdemeanor trespassing seemed reasonable, but it is difficult to determine from the reporting. The DOJ, engaging over a year later with felony charges carrying a maximum ten-year sentence, and sending the FBI to one of the activists\u2019 homes with guns drawn, is egregious.<\/p>\n
The Mark Rouck Case<\/h3>\n
The Mark Houck case was a high\u2011profile federal prosecution<\/a> under the FACE Act involving a sidewalk altercation outside a Philadelphia Planned Parenthood clinic \u2014 followed by an FBI raid, a jury acquittal, and ultimately a seven\u2011figure settlement paid to Houck by the federal government. According to the DOJ indictment, Mark Houck \u2014 a Catholic father of seven \u2014 was accused of twice shoving a 72\u2011year\u2011old volunteer clinic escort outside the Planned Parenthood Elizabeth Blackwell Center in Philadelphia. The DOJ alleged the escort required medical attention.\u00a0Houck\u2019s supporters said the escort was harassing Houck\u2019s 12\u2011year\u2011old son, and Houck pushed him away to protect his child.<\/p>\n\n- Houck was indicted in September 2022 under the FACE Act,\u00a0which carried penalties of up to 11 years.<\/li>\n
- The DOJ used aggressive arrest tactics\u2014a full FBI raid at his home with guns drawn\u2014despite Houck\u2019s attorney offering voluntary surrender.<\/li>\n
- Local authorities declined to prosecute the incident.<\/li>\n
- The DOJ report cites this as an example of unnecessary force and disproportionate enforcement.<\/li>\n
- A jury ultimately acquitted him.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The Washington, D.C. \u201cRescue\u201d Case (Lauren Handy & Others)<\/span><\/h3>\nAccording to court filings and multiple news reports, Lauren Handy and several co\u2011defendants said they believed the Washington Surgi\u2011Clinic was performing extremely late\u2011term abortions and that fetal remains might be present inside the facility. Late-term abortions were legal at the time, and it is still the case to this day. The court rejected their legal defense that they blocked access to \u201cprevent further harm,\u201d because the FACE Act does not allow defendants to justify blocking access on the basis of their beliefs about what happens inside a clinic. All nine defendants were convicted of federal conspiracy charges and sentenced to up to 10 years in prison. The sentence was considered egregious because of the long term.<\/p>\n
Other Cases Considered Egregious<\/span><\/h2>\nCategory\u2011based cases (not individually named in the report):<\/p>\n
\n- Michigan vandalism case<\/li>\n
- Multiple cases involving withheld evidence<\/li>\n
- Multiple cases involving improper jury screening<\/li>\n
- Cases tied to prosecutors who were later fired for misconduct<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Since Roe V. Wade was struck down in 2022, there have been 96 attacks on pregnancy resource centers and pro-life organizations, resulting in 9 arrests (CatholicVote Attacks on Pregnancy Centers & Pro\u2011Life Organizations Tracker<\/a>). Based on available reporting, there have been 0 known FACE Act prosecutions and 0 known FACE Act convictions for the attacks on pro-life organizations.<\/p>\nThe Catholic View<\/span><\/h2>\nAbortion is abhorrent. It is not reproductive health. It is the taking of a life. This does not mean that people who have abortions are bad people. You can hate the sin, but love the sinner. Many pro-life people work hard to prevent people from aborting their babies. There are times when people cross the line and break the law. When this happens, they must face the consequences. In too many instances, the Biden administration went to great lengths to \u201cmake an example\u201d of the pro-life cases as a deterrent. There is clear evidence of egregious prosecution of pro-life supporters and zero prosecution of attacks on pro-life centers. The prosecutors involved warrant criminal charges, and, if convicted, they should be disbarred.<\/p>\n
Weaponizing law to target certain groups while protecting others mirrors exactly the kind of legal manipulation Jesus condemned. There seems to be no interest in seeking justice in these cases. Weaponizing the law burdens the weak, shields the powerful, and creates fear instead of freedom. This is a betrayal of God\u2019s justice. Jesus\u2019 justice is always paired with mercy, humility, and fairness. There seems to be little, if any, mercy, humility, and fairness in these cases.<\/p>\n
Please share your thoughts about this article in the \u201cComments\u201d section.<\/p>\n
Peace<\/p>\n
If<\/strong>\u00a0you like this article, you might also enjoy:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nEmmaus: Walking With Jesus In Conversation<\/a>
\nDivine Mercy Sunday: Mercy From The Risen Christ<\/a>
\nNew York City\u2019s Growing Homeless Problem<\/a><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you were pro-life during the Biden administration, the odds of being arrested and aggressively prosecuted with FACE Act violations were significantly higher than those of pro-abortion supporters. Trump\u2019s DOJ just released files showing the Biden administration weaponized its DOJ against pro-life supporters. This is not \u201cman bites dog\u201d news. Let\u2019s take a look. Unequal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5001,"featured_media":7877,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3938,3935,3941],"tags":[3953,3950,3947],"class_list":["post-7874","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-biden-doj","category-government-weaponization","category-pro-life-supporters","tag-biden-doj","tag-government-weaponization","tag-pro-life-supporters"],"yoast_head":"\n
Pro-Life Groups Targeted by Biden's Justice Department<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If you were pro-life during the Biden administration, the odds of being arrested and aggressively prosecuted with FACE Act violations were\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faith4today\/2026\/04\/pro-life-groups-targeted-by-bidens-justice-department\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pro-Life Groups Targeted by Biden's Justice Department\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If you were pro-life during the Biden administration, the odds of being arrested and aggressively prosecuted with FACE Act violations were\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faith4today\/2026\/04\/pro-life-groups-targeted-by-bidens-justice-department\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Faith 4 Today\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-15T14:51:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1770\/2026\/04\/small-vecteezy_pregnancy-test-and-birth-control-pills-with-ultrasound-scan_39089376_small.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"427\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dennis McIntyre\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@conservativebl8\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dennis McIntyre\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faith4today\/2026\/04\/pro-life-groups-targeted-by-bidens-justice-department\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faith4today\/2026\/04\/pro-life-groups-targeted-by-bidens-justice-department\/\",\"name\":\"Pro-Life Groups Targeted by Biden's Justice Department\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faith4today\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-15T14:51:52+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-15T14:51:52+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faith4today\/#\/schema\/person\/fdc5fa4431f1b34a12058f3b2df1d113\"},\"description\":\"If you were pro-life during the Biden administration, the odds of being arrested and aggressively prosecuted with FACE Act violations were\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faith4today\/2026\/04\/pro-life-groups-targeted-by-bidens-justice-department\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faith4today\/2026\/04\/pro-life-groups-targeted-by-bidens-justice-department\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faith4today\/2026\/04\/pro-life-groups-targeted-by-bidens-justice-department\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faith4today\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Pro-Life Groups Targeted by Biden’s Justice Department\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faith4today\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faith4today\/\",\"name\":\"Faith 4 Today\",\"description\":\"Explores the presence of faith in day to day living and the challenges presented to people of faith\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faith4today\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faith4today\/#\/schema\/person\/fdc5fa4431f1b34a12058f3b2df1d113\",\"name\":\"Dennis McIntyre\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faith4today\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/62bc00aad86518848c19dd14338a1b54?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/62bc00aad86518848c19dd14338a1b54?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Dennis McIntyre\"},\"description\":\"In my early years I was a member of the Methodist church where I was baptized as a child and eventually became a lector for the church. 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Closely collaborated with pro\u2011abortion organizations<\/strong><\/p>\n These groups allegedly provided dossiers, evidence packets, and target lists to initiate investigations and obtain search warrants. Bloomberg\u2019s reporting on the same DOJ findings notes that the administration allegedly worked with abortion\u2011rights groups to compile evidence specifically against pro\u2011life activists, while downplaying attacks on pregnancy resource centers.<\/p>\n Monitoring Pro\u2011Life Activists for Years<\/strong><\/p>\n Selective Enforcement of the FACE Act<\/strong><\/p>\n The DOJ described this as creating a \u201ctwo\u2011tiered system of justice.\u201d<\/p>\n Prosecutorial Misconduct<\/strong><\/p>\n Conflict of Interest Concerns<\/strong><\/p>\n The DOJ report states that the lead prosecutor in each FACE Act case served as a reference<\/strong> for a National Abortion Federation grant application.<\/p>\n The DOJ under the current administration stated:<\/p>\n Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the Department aims to restore public confidence and prevent selective prosecution based on beliefs.<\/p>\n On March 5, 2021, a group of 11 pro-life activists conducted what they called a \u201crescue<\/a>\u201d at the Carafem Health Center in Mount Juliet, Tennessee:<\/p>\n The defendants in this case sat in a hallway singing hymns, prayed, and spoke to women entering the clinic. The initial charges of misdemeanor trespassing seemed reasonable, but it is difficult to determine from the reporting. The DOJ, engaging over a year later with felony charges carrying a maximum ten-year sentence, and sending the FBI to one of the activists\u2019 homes with guns drawn, is egregious.<\/p>\n The Mark Houck case was a high\u2011profile federal prosecution<\/a> under the FACE Act involving a sidewalk altercation outside a Philadelphia Planned Parenthood clinic \u2014 followed by an FBI raid, a jury acquittal, and ultimately a seven\u2011figure settlement paid to Houck by the federal government. According to the DOJ indictment, Mark Houck \u2014 a Catholic father of seven \u2014 was accused of twice shoving a 72\u2011year\u2011old volunteer clinic escort outside the Planned Parenthood Elizabeth Blackwell Center in Philadelphia. The DOJ alleged the escort required medical attention.\u00a0Houck\u2019s supporters said the escort was harassing Houck\u2019s 12\u2011year\u2011old son, and Houck pushed him away to protect his child.<\/p>\n According to court filings and multiple news reports, Lauren Handy and several co\u2011defendants said they believed the Washington Surgi\u2011Clinic was performing extremely late\u2011term abortions and that fetal remains might be present inside the facility. Late-term abortions were legal at the time, and it is still the case to this day. The court rejected their legal defense that they blocked access to \u201cprevent further harm,\u201d because the FACE Act does not allow defendants to justify blocking access on the basis of their beliefs about what happens inside a clinic. All nine defendants were convicted of federal conspiracy charges and sentenced to up to 10 years in prison. The sentence was considered egregious because of the long term.<\/p>\n Category\u2011based cases (not individually named in the report):<\/p>\n Since Roe V. Wade was struck down in 2022, there have been 96 attacks on pregnancy resource centers and pro-life organizations, resulting in 9 arrests (CatholicVote Attacks on Pregnancy Centers & Pro\u2011Life Organizations Tracker<\/a>). Based on available reporting, there have been 0 known FACE Act prosecutions and 0 known FACE Act convictions for the attacks on pro-life organizations.<\/p>\n Abortion is abhorrent. It is not reproductive health. It is the taking of a life. This does not mean that people who have abortions are bad people. You can hate the sin, but love the sinner. Many pro-life people work hard to prevent people from aborting their babies. There are times when people cross the line and break the law. When this happens, they must face the consequences. In too many instances, the Biden administration went to great lengths to \u201cmake an example\u201d of the pro-life cases as a deterrent. There is clear evidence of egregious prosecution of pro-life supporters and zero prosecution of attacks on pro-life centers. The prosecutors involved warrant criminal charges, and, if convicted, they should be disbarred.<\/p>\n Weaponizing law to target certain groups while protecting others mirrors exactly the kind of legal manipulation Jesus condemned. There seems to be no interest in seeking justice in these cases. Weaponizing the law burdens the weak, shields the powerful, and creates fear instead of freedom. This is a betrayal of God\u2019s justice. Jesus\u2019 justice is always paired with mercy, humility, and fairness. There seems to be little, if any, mercy, humility, and fairness in these cases.<\/p>\n Please share your thoughts about this article in the \u201cComments\u201d section.<\/p>\n Peace<\/p>\n If<\/strong>\u00a0you like this article, you might also enjoy:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Emmaus: Walking With Jesus In Conversation<\/a> If you were pro-life during the Biden administration, the odds of being arrested and aggressively prosecuted with FACE Act violations were significantly higher than those of pro-abortion supporters. Trump\u2019s DOJ just released files showing the Biden administration weaponized its DOJ against pro-life supporters. This is not \u201cman bites dog\u201d news. Let\u2019s take a look. Unequal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5001,"featured_media":7877,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3938,3935,3941],"tags":[3953,3950,3947],"class_list":["post-7874","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-biden-doj","category-government-weaponization","category-pro-life-supporters","tag-biden-doj","tag-government-weaponization","tag-pro-life-supporters"],"yoast_head":"\n\n
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Corrective Actions Taken To Date<\/span><\/h2>\n
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Egregious Prosecution Of Pro-Life Defendants<\/span><\/h2>\n
The Tennessee Rescue Case<\/h3>\n
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The Mark Rouck Case<\/h3>\n
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The Washington, D.C. \u201cRescue\u201d Case (Lauren Handy & Others)<\/span><\/h3>\n
Other Cases Considered Egregious<\/span><\/h2>\n
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The Catholic View<\/span><\/h2>\n
\nDivine Mercy Sunday: Mercy From The Risen Christ<\/a>
\nNew York City\u2019s Growing Homeless Problem<\/a><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"