WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) and U.S. Representative Ted Budd (R-NC) led a letter to North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein calling on the North Carolina Department of Justice to utilize the Freedom of Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act of 1994 to protect North Carolina-based Crisis Pregnancy Centers and bring the perpetrators of previous attacks to justice.
“We were troubled to see several attacks on Crisis Pregnancy Centers across the country. We were especially troubled to learn of the attack on Mountain Area Pregnancy Services in Asheville. The attackers scrawled in red graffiti across the clinic ‘if abortions aren’t safe neither are you!’ Crisis Pregnancy Centers exist to give women support and resources during their pregnancy. These organizations provide critical counseling services, parenting classes, and vital supplies such as diapers and formula. This noble work makes the attacks and threats of violence against these organizations all the more disturbing and unacceptable.
“These despicable acts violate both North Carolina law and federal law. Specifically, the Freedom of Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act of 1994 protects clinics that support pregnant women and decline to perform abortions. This law empowers state Attorneys General such as yourself with the authority to seek civil relief for conduct that violates the FACE Act. Considering the seriousness of these crimes, law enforcement cannot play favorites when it comes to pursuing justice. Failure to act will send a message that crimes against Crisis Pregnancy Centers are silently condoned and will not be met with the consequences they rightly deserve.
“An anti-life group known as ‘Jane’s Revenge’ has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks against Crisis Pregnancy Centers, including the attack against Mountain Area Pregnancy Services. We urge you to use every resource at your disposal—both civil and criminal—to protect Crisis Pregnancy Centers, bring the perpetrators of these attacks to justice, and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”
The letter was also signed by Reps. Dan Bishop, Richard Hudson, and Greg Murphy.
Read the full letter here.
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