F.A.C.E. Act showing true colors at the sidewalk

It was just a matter of time I suppose before the F.A.C.E. Act would be thrown in our faces here in the Red River Valley.  

For me, it happened several months ago now, but in that moment, the persecution that was being foisted upon our fellow pro-life sidewalk advocates from afar came closer to home.  

I’ve shared here before about the increasingly ridiculous antics of the pro-choice escorts at our local abortion facility. To review briefly, it started expanding from the first day of our keeping vigil on abortion day at the Moorhead location as we witnessed the escorts dancing in the large parking lot and giving each other high-fives, delighted with the stricter barrier between us and the clients. 

We could no longer stand within feet of the entrance and talk to the women at close range, nor walk around the corner to find loved ones waiting in vehicles, giving us a chance to quietly approach them with words of hope, which resulted in many saved lives.  

At the new place, situated on a dead-end street, there would be far fewer exchanges with passersby as before. Many of these would change their tune upon talking with us, finding we weren’t adversaries but were there with hope and help. In the new spot, we’d have hardly any exchanges with wanderers coming by to share insights like, “As long as babies are being born, God hasn’t given up on us yet.” 

In every way, we’ve been more vulnerable, not just emotionally but physically. The former location provided shelter from the wind and heat from the noonday sun. Since the location change, our movements and areas of influence have become confined, and we’ve sensed the delight of the evil one in this. 

As our confinement grew, the escorts became demonstrably emboldened. With fewer eyes on them than in the Downtown Fargo sphere, they began exhibiting bizarre behaviors that would have been unwise in the former location, just blocks from city police.  

Snow shovels emerged, not just in winter but all seasons, to scrape the pavement, along with squeaky noise makers, blaring music from speakers and, at times, car alarms, all to drown out our voices. When our advocates came with musical instruments to play songs of hope and life, the escorts followed with kazoos. 

Even worse was watching them become more empowered with more threatening stances. They began verbally threatening us about praying near the parking lot entrance, between the sidewalk, readying to reach out with brochures—our legal right. It has gotten to a point at which I’ve had to walk into the street to meet cars to avoid the escorts’ hovering presence.  

When receptive clients or their drivers do unroll their windows near me, I’ve been warned about violating the law; specifically, the F.A.C.E. Act, instituted in 1994 to prevent violence at places of religious worship and abortion “clinics.” 

On one occasion, an escort took out his phone and started yelling while reading the law to me. Minutes before, wanting to talk with a friend, I had crossed from one side of the parking lot entrance to the other side, all on the sidewalk. He accused me of “blocking” the entrance, despite my being unaware of an approaching car. The driver proceeded to enter safely, without provocation, as I reached the other side. 

In recent years, the escorts have been blatantly, newly invigorated in a concerning way, but I doubt the new location and firmer restrictions can account for this in full. I believe their behavior is a result of how the F.A.C.E. Act has been being applied nationally, especially by the Biden administration.  

As more pro-lifers have been cited and imprisoned for non-violent actions across the country in recent years, our local escorts have become mercilessly uninhibited, acting in ways that are undoubtedly jarring even for their clients. They’ve become so focused on us that they’ve lost sight of their supposed mission.  

It’s not a complete surprise. Focusing on destruction over life, evil loses its way. This lost cause has been made plain to us as we’ve gone about our mission of legally sharing information and choices with those who may feel hopeless.  

But recently, noting the widely unfair application of this law, the Trump administration has begun freeing the captives, including elderly advocates who had been unjustly imprisoned for defending the voiceless. Their newfound freedom should give all of us hope.  

Thank you for sticking with us in these dark times and remember that God is always with the light. Please join us some Wednesday if you are able. We could always use more witnesses to life on the sidewalk.