Another pro-life activist has been sentenced to time in prison for violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.
Sixty-eight-year-old Steven Lefemine of South Carolina was sentenced to 60 days in jail and was fined $1,000 after he was found guilty in March of blocking the entrance of a Planned Parenthood abortion facility on November 15, 2022. He will not be placed on probation. A video played during his trial showed Lefemine refusing to move unless the clinic workers agreed “not to kill babies today.”
Though he was originally arrested by local law enforcement, convicted for trespassing, and fined $465, federal authorities indicted him on the additional FACE Act charge in February of 2023. This arrest is the ninth time Lefemine has been found guilty of either trespassing or disorderly conduct related to his pro-life activism, according to The State.
Assistant U.S. Attorney DeWayne Pearson prosecuted the case and said, “No one seeks to bar [Lefemine’s] right to protest. However, he can’t block the door of a lawful facility where people are seeking reproductive health care, even if he disagrees with it.” He asked Anderson to sentence Lefemine to 90 days in jail and a $5,000 fine but because Lefemine is non-violent, Anderson gave him a shorter prison sentence.
READ: Pro-life advocate Paul Vaughn avoids prison time in Tennessee FACE Act sentencing
Lefemine is a former U.S. Military Academy graduate who represented himself during his trial and sentencing hearing. He told by U.S. District Court Judge Joe Anderson that God’s law trumps human laws like the legalized intentional and direct killing of preborn children. Anderson gave Lefemine “credit” for holding sincere religious beliefs and for remaining non-violent in his activism.
As previously reported by Live Action News, the Planned Parenthood business in Columbia, South Carolina — where Lefemine blocked the entrance — has a history of repeated botched abortions necessitating 911 calls. The facility has also faced numerous health code violations that nearly caused it to be shut down by the state in 2015.
Lefemine’s sentencing is just the latest in a string of FACE Act convictions for pro-lifers. Lauren Handy, Will Goodman, John Hinshaw, Heather Idoni, Herb Geraghty, Joan Andrews Bell, Jonathan Darnel, Jean Marshall, Paulette Harlow, Chet Gallagher, Cal Zastrow, Coleman Boyd, Paul Vaughn, and Dennis Green have all been tried and convicted of FACE Act violations as well as “conspiracy against rights.”
Editor’s Note: This article has been been updated for clarification on FACE act convictions and other details.
