Eight individuals have been convicted of serious federal crimes after blockading access to Michigan abortion clinics. The Sterling Heights clinic was targeted on August 27, 2020, as part of what was dubbed the "Michigan Holiness Revival Tour," a concerted effort that curtailed reproductive rights, as well as access to essential health services, the U.S. Department of Justice reported on Tuesday.
During the trial, it emerged that one of the patients referred to as "S.S.," faced serious health risks due to fatal abnormalities in her fetus—a situation exacerbated by the blockade that barred her from obtaining necessary reproductive health care, according to The Detroit News.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke emphasized the right to obtain and provide reproductive health services without physical barriers, asserting in a statement obtained by Justice.gov that “These defendants intentionally broke the law. One woman’s fetus experienced fatal abnormalities and the defendants' coordinated campaign of physical obstruction posed a grave and real threat to her health and fertility. Make no mistake: every American enjoys the right to obtain and provide reproductive health services free from physical obstruction, and the Justice Department will continue to hold accountable those that oppress the free exercise of that right. We thank the jury for the time, attention, and careful consideration of the facts of this case.”
The FACE Act violations are clear-cut: intentionally hindering patients and clinic staff by physically barring them from reproductive health services constitutes a felony. U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison for the Eastern District of Michigan succinctly reflected on the verdict, saying “The defendants convicted today sought to interfere with that right by physically blocking the doors of clinics providing such services. These defendants are entitled to their views, but they are not entitled to prevent others from exercising the rights secured to them by the laws of the United States. This case is about the rule of law, and today’s verdict is a victory for that principle,” indicating that sentiments do not override civil liberties, as per a statement by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Defense attorneys have signaled their discontent, with Art Weiss, who represented one of the defendants, expressing his belief that invoking a statute from the 1870s to address abortion clinic blockades is a misplaced application of justice, articulating this stance to The Detroit News and insisting the fight is far from concluded; although the ruling of the court stands as a reaffirmation of protected rights under the law. Steve Crampton of the Thomas More Society echoed this sentiment, affirming in a press release that their organization will persist in advocating for what they deem peaceful pro-life citizens.
The convicted individuals now await sentencing, as the judicial process moves to its penultimate phase and the reverberations of their actions continue to ripple through the legal and moral fabric of a nation persistently grappling with the bounds of protest and the sanctity of individual rights. The FBI’s Detroit Field Office and Bay City Resident Agency were notable for their investigative efforts, culminating in a momentous jury decision intended to safeguard the sanctity of accessible health care, as detailed in Justice.gov's release.
