Wichita, KS – For the second time in as many years, a federal judge has ended U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder’s political prosecution of a pro-life activist. President Obama’s Department of Justice filed charges against Angel Dillard for a letter she wrote to Dr. Mila Means, who had announced plans to open an abortion facility in Wichita, Kansas.
Dillard said that she wrote the letter to point out the practical disadvantages and difficulties associated with an abortion clinic and to appeal to DR. Means’ conscience, not to threaten him.
In granting summary judgment, Judge J. Thomas Marten concluded, “Despite its energetic pursuit of discovery, the government has supplied no additional context which would objectively support the determination that actual violence against Dr. Means was likely and imminent.”
This case is similar to Holder’s two-year political prosecution of pro-life educator Mary Susan Pine. In an action brought under the same Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (“FACE”) as was the Dillard case, the judge in the Pine case threw out that case and accused the U.S. Attorney General of conspiring with the abortion clinic.
“This is a great victory not only for Angel Dillard, but for every freedom-loving American,” said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. “The Government’s decision to prosecute Dillard despite having no evidence of wrongdoing is further evidence that this Department of Justice is continuing to bully and intimidate pro-life activists,” Staver pointed out. “As Christians, it is our responsibility to stand for the unborn–the most innocent among us who have been targeted for destruction. Liberty Counsel will continue to stand beside pro-life Americans threatened by this Administration.”
Liberty Counsel is an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics.
