Pro-life groups are celebrating the indictment of two Florida residents accused of targeting and vandalizing several pro-life pregnancy centers, but they say the Biden Administration and Department of Justice (DOJ) must stop “playing politics with law enforcement.”
“These charges are good first steps, but the fight for equal justice is far from over. With a new House GOP majority positioned to exercise its oversight powers, we are finally beginning to see some accountability. Yet the Justice Department continues to target the people of states that protect unborn children and their mothers,” Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser said.
“Congressional Democrats had the opportunity to condemn the violence and all but three refused, and again we have had to call on the White House to stop vilifying pro-life Americans. The pro-life movement is keeping a watchful eye on this administration and we will not be silent in the face of violence and intimidation,” Dannenfelser continued.
The DOJ on Tuesday announced that Caleb Freestone, 27, and Amber Smith-Stewart, 23, were indicted for allegedly engaging in a “conspiracy to prevent employees of reproductive health services facilities from providing those services.” The pair, along with other co-conspirators, are accused of spray painting threats including, “If abortions aren’t safe than niether [sic] are you,” “YOUR TIME IS UP!!,” “WE’RE COMING for U,” and “We are everywhere,” on a pro-life center in Winter Haven, Florida. The indictment alleges that facilities in Hollywood, Florida, and Hialeah, Florida, were also targeted.
The Ledger reported at the time that the Winter Haven attack was claimed by “Jane’s Revenge,” a pro-abortion extremist group that has claimed attacks against pro-life pregnancy centers and churches across the country. Freestone and Smith-Stewart are are also allegedly involved with Antifa far-left activists.
Freestone and Smith-Stewart are accused of violating the FACE Act by “using threats of force to intimidate and interfere with the employees of a reproductive health services facility in Winter Haven because those employees were providing or seeking to provide reproductive health services.” If convicted, both Freestone and Smith-Stewart could face a maximum of 12 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and fines of up to $350,000. The FBI Tampa Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the Miami Police Department.
The CEO of CompassCare, a national medical network that was firebombed in Buffalo by pro-abortion terrorists, called the indictments “bittersweet.” CEO Rev. Jim Harden pointed out that Freestone and Smith-Stewart are the first pro-abortion activists to be indicted for allegedly attacking pro-life centers out of at least 79 attacks since the Dobbs decision was leaked — all while the pro-abortion DOJ went after 26 pro-life individuals in 2022 with alleged violations of the FACE Act.
“The indictments of Jane’s Revenge abortion terrorists is bittersweet. It is a win that indictments were made but a loss that it took eight months and the launch of House Judiciary Committee investigation into the FBI to make it happen. I wonder if the Miami Police solved the case and the DOJ conveniently took credit,” Harden said.
“These indictments ought to be just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to conspiracy to deprive pro-life citizens of equal protection under the law. The fact that the DOJ still refuses to publicly acknowledge the nationwide hate crimes targeting Christian pro-life entities or call it what it is, domestic terror, tells me they are still playing politics with law enforcement,” he continued.
CompassCare’s Buffalo Office was firebombed on June 7 with Molotov cocktails and vandalized with the message “Jane was here” – a slogan used to pay fealty to Jane’s Revenge.
“The connection between Jane’s Revenge activity and Antifa is something we’ve noted all along given their signature graffiti, large black face masks, and militant Bolshevik revolutionary style,” Harden said.
FBI Buffalo announced a $25,000 reward to anyone who can give the agency information leading to arrests — five months after the CompassCare attack there — but Harden said the move is a “ruse designed to feign interest in an investigation. CompassCare is now partnering with the Thomas More Society to hire private investigators and find the perpetrators.
Leadership from Heartbeat International, the nation’s largest network of pro-life pregnancy help, celebrated the indictments on Thursday. General Counsel Danielle White stated that she hopes the charges will “dissuade other extremists.”
“Violence against pregnancy help organizations harms women who are seeking help in the face of an unexpected pregnancy. We applaud the Department of Justice, together with the FBI and Miami Police Department for seeking justice for these centers, their personnel and the communities they serve,” White said. “Given the wave of violence against pregnancy centers in the wake of the Dobbs decision, we trust that this indictment will be the first of many and pray that it will dissuade other extremists.”
“Since early May, more than 100 pregnancy centers, pro-life organizations, and churches in more than 30 states have been targeted and attacked for their pro-life views. This includes broken windows, spray painting, “If abortions aren’t safe, neither are you,” in red on buildings, and even centers being firebombed,” she continued. “These two forms of attack have ties to a domestic terrorist group known as “Jane’s Revenge” which has taken credit for many of the attacks.”
Heartbeat International President Jor-El Godsey said the threats from abortion extremists will “never deter the good and necessary work that is life-affirming pregnancy help.”
“However, such acts are detrimental to safe working conditions and consistent, caring outreach to those in need. We are grateful to know that the DOJ is following through with its efforts to enforce the laws that protect pregnancy help centers,” Godsey continued.
During a hearing before the Senate Homeland Security Committee in November of 2022, Wray admitted that approximately 70 percent of abortion-related threats of violence in the United States since the Dobbs decision have been against pro-life groups.
Wray cited the statistic after Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) questioned him about accusations that the agency is more dedicated to arresting pro-life advocates than investigating violence perpetrated by pro-abortion extremists. At the time, the FBI had arrested several pro-life advocates (see here, here, and here) but had failed to bring justice in any of the pro-abortion attacks that occurred months prior. President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice had also established a “Reproductive Rights Task Force” to “protect access to reproductive health care” in anticipation for the end of Roe v. Wade, despite the fact that more pro-life organizations were experiencing attacks.
“My view — plainly expressed to all of our people, including in the context of abortion-related violence — is that I don’t care what side of the issue you’re on, you don’t get to engage in violence, and we are equal-opportunity when it comes to that,” Wray told Scott.
“We have about 20 field offices involved in this. And so we take it very seriously. And again, I don’t care you’re motivated by pro-life views or pro-choice views. You don’t get to use violence to express it,” he added.
Wray further told Scott that he gets “frustrated” by supposed “misreporting of our work.”
“The circumspection that we display with regard to discussing our investigations is based on rules and practices that are important to people having confidence in the integrity of our work and go back decades, multiple administrations,” he said.