"Abortion opponents had watched as Republican presidents reshaped the U.S. Supreme Court, but abortion remained legal. Frustrations spilled over, and a growing number of Americans joined clinic blockades led by Operation Rescue, a group that sought to shut down abortion clinics. As Time magazine reported, the primary tactic Operation Rescue used was "to jam all entrances to an abortion clinic before the police can muster sufficient officers to begin arrests.""
"Operation Rescue members did get arrested but often faced minor charges, like trespassing, before quickly returning to the protest front lines. Most of those who attended these protests were peaceful-Operation Rescue instructed recruits on what it called nonviolent civil disobedience. But the group's message was that lawbreaking was justified in the name of saving the lives of the unborn."
The FACE Act passed amid escalating anti-abortion protest. Abortion opponents had watched Republican presidents reshape the U.S. Supreme Court while abortion remained legal. Frustrations produced clinic blockades led by Operation Rescue, which sought to shut down abortion clinics. Operation Rescue often jammed clinic entrances before police could begin arrests, and members faced mostly minor charges before returning to protests. The bill’s addition of places of worship began as a congressional poison pill but gained support because of historic attacks on Black churches, synagogues, and other houses of worship. The addition helped secure votes from seventeen Republican senators and three House members. Abortion opponents immediately challenged the law’s constitutionality under the First Amendment, arguing it censored speech and singled out abortion foes for prosecution.
Read at Slate Magazine
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