Flurry of pro-life arrests spurs charges Biden administration is trying to ‘intimidate’ Christians

Demonstrators turn out for “Ohio March for Life” to support ending abortion access in Ohio at the Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022. (Barbara Perenic /The Columbus Dispatch via AP)

(Washington Times)  By Valerie Richardson – Tuesday, October 11, 2022

The attorney for one of the 11 pro-life activists arrested last week by armed FBI agents accused the Justice Department on Tuesday of seeking to “frighten and intimidate Christians” with its recent campaign targeting anti-abortion protesters.

Paul Vaughn, 55, was arrested Oct. 5 at his farmhouse in Centerville, Tennessee, and charged with violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances [FACE] Act stemming from a March 2021 pro-life demonstration outside an abortion facility in Mount Juliet, Tennessee.

Stephen Crampton, Thomas More Society senior counsel, called the arrest of Mr. Vaughn in front of his wife and seven of his 11 children “yet another attempt on the part of the Biden Department of Justice to frighten and intimidate Christians and committed pro-life advocates.”

“We believe the evidence will show that Paul did not violate the FACE Act, and we look forward to a chance to prove that in court,” Mr. Crampton said in a Tuesday statement.

The federal indictment against the 11 activists came with the Biden administration invoking the access law to ensure abortion availability in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s June 24 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson. Mr. Biden sharply criticized the court’s 6-3 decision and vowed to employ his administration’s assets to protect abortion access.