The U.S. Justice Department has launched legal action against a Pennsylvania man who allegedly protested too vigorously, by blocking access to a Philadelphia reproductive health clinic. According to a report from the U.S. Department of Justice, Matthew Connolly is accused of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act on August 27, 2021, when he supposedly barricaded himself within a clinic bathroom prompting the clinic's operations to halt and requiring police intervention.
The FACE Act, which bars the use of force, threats of force, or obstruction against those looking to receive or provide reproductive health services, is at the heart of this lawsuit; the Justice Department claims Connolly's disruptive actions meant the clinic had to be evacuated and 44 patient appointments were disappointingly pushed to other dates. "The defendant engaged in conduct calculated to shut down a reproductive health clinic for an entire day, forcing the evacuation of the clinic’s patients and obstructing access to reproductive health services", Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said in a statement that underscores the department's commitment to upholding the FACE Act, to ensure that legal reproductive health services are unobstructed and the patients who need them encounter no hardships or hindrances when seeking them, as per the U.S. Department of Justice.
In seeking justice, the Justice Department is not only pursuing monetary penalties but is also aiming for injunctive relief to prevent future obstructions of this nature. The clinic, which was unnamed in the report, represents a battleground where the rights guaranteed under the FACE Act are reinforced against individuals deemed by the authorities to be breaking the law by excessively impeding healthcare access.
