Federal charges have been brought against a well-known pro-life priest for padlocking the gate to an abortion clinic in New York in July, blocking the entrance to the clinic in the hope of counseling the woman seeking an abortion that day to reconsider.
The priest is known for his nonviolent attempts to obstruct the operation of abortion clinics to save unborn children.
A prosecution was filed against Father Fidelis Moscinski, a 52-year-old Franciscan Friar of the Renewal (CFR) priest, last week under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, a federal statute passed in 1994 that forbids restricting access to abortion clinics.
Moscinski, who the statement refers to as “Christopher,” showed up to the Planned Parenthood of Greater New York facility in Hempstead, New York, the morning of July 7 wearing civilian clothing, according to a Sept. 29 release from the Department of Justice.
He is accused of attaching a number of padlocks and bicycle locks, some of which had glue poured into them, to the clinic’s guarded entry. Later, he laid in front of the gate to block entry to the abortion facility with his body while donning his friar’s garb. According to reports, as a consequence of his activities, the clinic was shut down for two hours.
According to the DOJ, first-time FACE Act convictions are misdemeanor offenses subject to up to one year in federal prison; subsequent convictions are felonies. The FACE Act is illegal, according to the DOJ, if it “intends to damage, intimidate, or interfere with the right to seek, access, or provide reproductive health care.”
In a statement on October 2, Terrisa Bukovinac, the founder and executive director of the pro-life organization Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAAU), condemned the accusations made against Moscinski.
According to Bukovinac, the FACE Act was largely passed to counteract Operation Rescue, whose members regularly attempted to physically bar women from accessing abortion facilities.
“Recently, peaceful direct action outside death facilities throughout America has attracted fresh attention. And the Department of Justice under [Attorney General Merrick] Garland has responded quickly,” Bukovinac added.
Mark Houck, Father Fidelis, Lauren Handy, and other nonviolent pro-life campaigners have been unfairly targeted as a result of this office’s weaponization. Instead, Garland’s Justice Department has permitted violent pro-abortion groups to keep terrorizing churches and pregnancy centers across the nation, she added, referring to the numerous crimes against pro-life organizations that have been reported nationwide in the wake of the Roe v. Wade ruling but have not yet been prosecuted.
In recent years, Moscinski has drawn media notice for his pious demonstrations against pro-abortion opponents and his involvement with the organization Red Rose Rescue.
Pro-abortion supporters may be seen yelling, waving placards, and smoking cigarettes in the parade during Brooklyn’s Witness for Life day of prayer in 2021, all in the presence of a composed Moscinski.
Moscinski reportedly admitted to EWTN Pro-life Weekly that he realized that blocking the clinic entrance may have “serious implications” and that he decided to act alone in order to avoid implicating anybody else after his detention on July 7.
The aim, according to Moscinski, was to “keep that Planned Parenthood closed for as long as possible so that I would have the chance to speak to the moms that were coming in that morning,” the presenter Prudence Robertson said. He urged those who support life to recite the rosary and to consider the question, “What am I prepared to give up to demonstrate my love for the women and children who are at danger for abortion?”
That EWTN interview was mentioned by the prosecution in the Moscinski criminal complaint.
At least 16 nonviolent pro-life activists, including PAAU member Lauren Handy, were prosecuted under the FACE Act in 2022 alone, according to Bukovinac of Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising.
Mark Houck, a prominent Philadelphia pro-lifer and father of seven, was recently indicted, which has sparked significant outrage and condemnation. After a Planned Parenthood clinic escort claimed that Houck shoved him twice, forcing him to fall to the ground each times, Houck was indicted by a federal grand jury on September 22. GOP politicians, such as Sens. Josh Hawley of Missouri and Ted Cruz of Texas, have criticized the accounts of how Houck was arrested harshly.