Chip Roy introduces bill to prevent Biden and Harris' persecution of Christians

Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) introduced a bill to repeal the FACE Act and end the Biden-Harris administration's persecution of Christians. The conservative lawmaker again brought up the data on Christians imprisoned as a result of this law and told the story of Eva Edl, an 89-year-old pro-life activist and concentration camp survivor, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison for participating in anti-abortion protests in Michigan.

Roy's message on X account was devastating: "A woman who bravely escaped a death camp as a young girl now faces death in prison in the United States for standing up for the sanctity of life."

'Stop this growing weaponization and intimidation'

Roy echoed Edl's story in an article in the Daily Wire, in which he explained that events like what happened to her and other Christian activists have led him to take the step "to stop this growing weaponization and intimidation." The Texas lawmaker noted that "Congress should stop this targeted harassment and ensure the FACE Act is repealed. Allowing it to remain means permitting bureaucrats at the highest levels of government to unequally apply the law, target pro-life Americans with unwarranted retaliation, and shield a radical abortion industry."

"Eva Edl was just nine-years-old when she was sent to a Hungarian prison camp by communists at the close of WWII. After spending 18 months in hellish conditions, Edl and her family successfully fled the camp and immigrated to the United States. At 89-years-old, Eva is one of many pro-life Americans facing the wrath of the Biden-Harris DOJ’s weaponization of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. Edl and six other defendants currently await federal sentencing for their participation in protests at Michigan abortion clinics," he continued.

Roy recalls that, despite the fact that the rule went into effect in 1994, this administration has turned it into a weapon against Christians: "the FACE Act has become one of the Biden-Harris administration’s favorite tools to attack the pro-life movement. The administration has disproportionately used it in instances of peaceful, everyday Americans protesting abortion while largely turning a blind eye to hundreds of recorded, violent attacks on pregnancy resource centers and churches in the wake of the leaked Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision."

92% of FACE Act defendants under Biden-Harris administration are pro-life protesters

Roy's own office finally got the Justice Department to provide it with data on arrests for violating this law, and the result was frightening: "The Biden-Harris DOJ had charged 24 FACE Act cases against 55 defendants. Just two of these cases were brought in defense of pregnancy resource centers and never for the protection of a house of worship. This means that nearly 92% of all Biden-Harris FACE Act cases were brought against pro-life demonstrators, despite over 285 churches and 94 pregnancy resource centers and pro-life groups being attacked and vandalized since May 2022."

These numbers indicate that a quarter of the 211 people prosecuted under the FACE Act have been during the Biden-Harris tenure. Moreover, the current administration has put a twist on legislation that increases penalties for those convicted: "For the first time in American history, this administration began to tack on 'conspiracy against rights' felony charges on top of FACE Act charges, which carry prison sentences upwards of 10 years. The misuse of this reconstruction-era law marked a dramatic escalation against pro-life Americans compared to past administrations."

Again, Edl's was a prime example to illustrate the gravity of the situation: "Because of this additional conspiracy charge, Edl, who was recently sentenced to three years of probation in a Tennessee court, now faces up to 11 years in federal prison and $350,000 in fines — meaning a woman who bravely escaped a death camp as a young girl now faces death in prison in the United States for standing up for the sanctity of life."