Federal prosecutors secured a guilty plea for pro-abortion vandalism committed in 2022, but according to a pro-life group’s report, many similar cases remain unresolved.
Ethan Skorick, a Texas man, pled guilty to violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act by writing slogans such as “forced birth is murder” on a pregnancy resource center in May 2022, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Thursday. However, CatholicVote reports that the Biden administration has made limited progress in solving other cases, despite having prosecuted 21 pro-life activists under the FACE Act.
CatholicVote’s database cites 95 instances of vandalism, arson, threats, or attacks on pro-life pregnancy centers or advocacy groups since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson opinion leaked on May 2, 2022. The leak triggered pro-abortion protests outside justices’ homes, actions that violated federal law. Reports suggest the DOJ instructed U.S. Marshals not to make arrests during these protests.
The Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade, ending the constitutional right to abortion. Meanwhile, the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division reported prosecuting only 57 individuals over four years for crimes against “reproductive health” centers, which include both pro-life facilities and abortion clinics. Violations of the FACE Act carry a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a fine for first-time offenses.
One controversial case involved Mark Houck, a pro-life Catholic charged under the FACE Act after pushing a man harassing his son outside an abortion clinic. Facing a potential 11-year sentence, Houck was acquitted in January 2023.
In a letter to then-President-elect Donald Trump, the conservative Thomas More Society stated that 21 pro-life Americans were targeted or jailed under President Joe Biden, including 75-year-old Paulette Harlow, who was sentenced to two years in prison. The letter criticized the DOJ’s selective enforcement, claiming pro-life individuals were prosecuted for peaceful civil disobedience while crimes against pro-life centers were largely ignored.
Outgoing Attorney General Merrick Garland told senators in March 2023 that it is easier to catch pro-life protesters because they act “in daylight,” whereas pregnancy center attackers act “at night in the dark.”
Randy Bollig, president of Loreto House, the Texas center vandalized by Skorick, expressed surprise at the indictment’s timing, which occurred shortly before an election. “The case was on their desk for about a year and a half,” Bollig said, adding that he hopes it deters future vandalism.
“It is time for justice to be brought to the criminals who have damaged hundreds of Catholic churches and pregnancy care centers,” Bollig said. He also expressed prayers for Skorick’s conversion of heart.
The DOJ has not responded to inquiries about its progress in addressing pregnancy center vandalism cases.
