JONATHAN DARNEL: Biden Sent Me To Prison For FACE, I Don’t Want It Used Against Anyone

A jail cell (Sara via Flickr)

Since Jan. 18, I’ve been tearing my hair out watching the conservative response to the disruption conducted by Don Lemon and his friends at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minn. Every pundit seems to be jumping for joy at the prospect of slamming these protesters with the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. Motivated by revenge, they’re making a massive mistake that will have disastrous consequences for people like me.  Yet my voice feels drowned out.

That’s pretty ironic, since I’m one of the few Americans ever convicted of FACE. In 2022, in retaliation for a peaceful anti-abortion “rescue” at a Washington, D.C. abortion clinic, Joe Biden’s Department of Justice arrested me at gunpoint and charged me with FACE and Conspiracy to Deny Rights (a possible 11 year sentence!). Tried with eight others, I was immediately sent to federal prison. I would have served up to 34 months had President Donald Trump not pardoned us all.

Now, the Cities Church protesters have been hit with the exact same consequences.  Since I’m about as conservative as they come, you’d think I’d rejoice seeing “their side” get a taste of their own medicine. Every other conservative seems to be! But you’d be wrong.

The FACE Act is an incredibly unjust law. It makes it a federal crime to interfere with anyone obtaining an abortion or attending religious services and imposes outrageous sentences on violators. It was created by Democrats to crush the rescue movement of the early 1990s, when thousands of pro-lifers were peacefully blockading the doors of abortion clinics. The religious service clause was added to placate congressional Republicans, which it did. Thirty-four Republican traitors joined Democrats to pass FACE in perhaps the biggest betrayal of human life ever perpetrated by American politicians.

Rescue is a vital tool in creating social tension and ending child-killing as fast as possible. The original rescue movement was the closest we ever came to abolishing abortion. If we ever hope to reach that goal, rescue must revive. But FACE makes rescue almost impossible.

I vehemently want FACE abolished. Before my incarceration, I rebuked mainstream pro-life groups who suggested using it against the pro-abortion vandals then desecrating pregnancy resource centers. In prison, I spent weeks writing articles on how important it was that we repeal FACE, not just threaten our enemies with it. After our pardons, rescuers hoped that Congress would do just that.

Instead, the bill to repeal was tabled in committee. Then pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrated outside a New York City synagogue. Now comes the Minnesota church incident. Once again conservatives are salivating over the possibility of using FACE to punish those we don’t like.

I understand the sentiment, even if I’ve no strong opinions on the current deportation debate. On multiple occasions leftist thugs have assaulted my friends and me as we did pro-life activism. They steal or destroy our equipment, scream in our faces, attempt to damage our eardrums using police whistles and strike us with their fists. I doubt any had even an ounce of compassion for me when I was imprisoned.

Still, the desire for revenge must not cloud our judgement. If the right starts viewing FACE not as an obstacle but as a useful tool, it will never be repealed. The next Democrat president will then wield it to crush any form of anti-abortion civil disobedience. Sure, Sunday morning might remain quiet. But the hope of reviving rescue will be lost, and more kids will die as a result.

Some suggest that using FACE against leftist radicals will prompt congressional Democrats to support its repeal.  Hardly. They are far more loyal to the abortion industry than to their own foot soldiers. Disrupting church services is not vital to their program. No, any hope of revoking FACE lies with Republicans, and now I fear they have become FACE’s biggest advocates.

It’s agonizing. Besides seeing no value in anti-abortion civil disobedience, conservatives are more worried about potential threats to their safe spaces than the very real mass slaughter of preborn children. What happened that day at Cities Church was definitely unnerving. But Christians overseas face far greater persecution; it is a normal part of their Christian experience. We are incredibly privileged here, and it has made us both soft and hyper-sensitive to anything threatening our personal peace.

I want to both cry and scream, if only someone could hear me. To hamstring the fight against child killing just so you can live in absolute security is not pro-life at all.

Jonathan Darnel is an anti-abortion ‘rescuer’ who served 16 months in prison for violating the FACE Act. His website is SmashTheFACE.life.

 The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.

 (Featured Image Media Credit: Sara via Flickr)