Florida’s Attorney General, Ashley Moody, has filed a civil lawsuit against two pro-abortion Antifa activists, Caleb Hunter Freestone, and Amber Marie Smith-Stewart, for allegedly vandalizing crisis pregnancy centers in the state. The case marks a groundbreaking use of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act), which has historically been employed to defend abortion clinics.
Freestone and Smith-Stewart, both members of Antifa and the radically pro-abortion group Jane’s Revenge, stand accused of attacking three crisis pregnancy centers in Florida: the South Broward Pregnancy Help Center in Hollywood, the LifeChoice crisis pregnancy center in Winter Haven, and the Heartbeat of Miami pregnancy center in Hialeah. The attacks are said to have occurred shortly before the Dobbs decision was handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court last June, which overturned Roe v. Wade.
Pro-abortion Antifa activists face lawsuit for attacks against crisis pregnancy centers in Florida https://t.co/ybSGUWo9gc
— mzee26 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 (@mzee26) April 1, 2023
A Florida federal grand jury indicted Freestone and Smith-Stewart in January for violating the FACE Act by allegedly targeting pregnancy resource facilities with spray-painted threats. The Department of Justice claims that the defendants painted messages such as “If abortions aren’t safe, neither are you” and “YOUR TIME IS UP!!”
Moody’s lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida in Tampa, seeks $170,000 from Freestone and Smith-Stewart and asks the court to permanently prohibit them from going within 100 feet of any crisis pregnancy center in Florida. If convicted in criminal court, the defendants could each be sentenced to a dozen years in federal prison and a $350,000 fine.
Attorney Kelly Shackelford, CEO, and chief counsel of the First Liberty Institute, has praised this groundbreaking use of the FACE Act to defend crisis pregnancy centers. This Christian legal nonprofit has filed a separate civil lawsuit on behalf of the Heartbeat of Miami pregnancy center in Hialeah. “Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is leading the effort to protect all faith-based pregnancy care centers across the country,” Shackelford said.
Shackelford emphasized that the rule of law underpins this legal action, making it clear that using violence to advance a disagreement is unacceptable and will be met with consequences. “If you use violence as a means to advance your disagreement, you will be held accountable by the law,” Shackelford stated.
Moody’s determination to hold Antifa and Jane’s Revenge accountable for their alleged crimes sends a strong message that violent intimidation tactics will not be tolerated in Florida. In addition, by using the FACE Act to defend pregnancy resource centers, Moody demonstrates a commitment to protecting law-abiding citizens in the Sunshine State and ensuring that domestic terrorists face the consequences of their actions.
