Two pro-abortion activists affiliated with Antifa were sued by Florida’s attorney general concerning acts of vandalism at several crisis pregnancy centers in the state.
Ashley Moody, Florida’s Republican attorney general, filed a lawsuit against Caleb Hunter Freestone, 27, and Amber Marie Smith-Stewart, 23. Both are members of Antifa and the pro-abortion group Jane’s Revenge.
Here’s the woman who was charged: Amber Stewart-Smith pic.twitter.com/3PVc22w288
— Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) January 25, 2023
In 2022, Freestone and Stewart allegedly attacked three Floridian crisis pregnancy centers: 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.
“Antifa and Jane’s Revenge are criminal organizations and must answer for their crimes in Florida,” Moody said. “I am taking action to hold their members accountable for attempting to intimidate and threaten law-abiding citizens in our state.”
The lawsuit states that in the weeks and months leading up to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on Dobbs V. Jackson’s Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe V. Wade, many pro-life centers around the country were attacked by pro-abortion activists who were “spraying their walls, breaking their windows, and even setting fire to their buildings.”
In January 2023, the Department of Justice (DOJ) charged Freestone and Stewart with violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, which ensures Americans’ access to pro-life and pro-choice reproductive health services, protecting them from violence and interference.
The defendants are facing criminal prosecution at the federal level, while Moody plans to hold them civilly liable for their actions. Her lawsuit seeks $170,000 from Freestone and Stewart and asks the court to prohibit them from going within 100 feet of any crisis pregnancy center in Florida.
Attorney Kelly Shackelford, CEO, and chief counsel of the First Liberty Institute, a Christian Legal nonprofit that filed its lawsuit representing the Heartbeat of Miami pregnancy center in Hialeah, praised Moody’s leadership.
“Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is leading the effort to protect all faith-based pregnancy care centers across the country,” Shackelford said.
“The rule of law compels this lawsuit,” he continued. “If you use violence as a means to advance your disagreement, you will be held accountable by the law.”
The lawsuit was filed by the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division. Freestone and Smith-Stewart face up to 12 years in federal prison and more than a $300,000 fine if convicted.
