Chris Smith: “Mr. Speaker, nonviolent civil disobedience has been used by virtually every cause and movement under the Sun including…”

“Mr. Speaker, nonviolent civil disobedience has been used by virtually every cause and movement under the Sun including civil rights, environmental, D.C. statehood, and a whole host of other causes, and unfortunately, this legislation picks out and focuses exclusively on pro-lifers and says that they will be treated with a different standard. Mr. Speaker, what this bill is all about is establishing in law, in Federal law, a double standard. Usually when people commit minor offenses like trespass, say, on behalf of AIDS activists, or perhaps animal rights folks who are unhappy with a certain policy, they endure a very light penalty, and perhaps they may be fined, perhaps they may spend the night in jail. This legislation says that if the same person commits the same kind of offense, simply trespasses or, in this case, gets in the way of somebody who is going to or from an abortion clinic, and that could be the abortionist himself, it could just about be anybody who is going in or out, if they get in the way, despite the fact that it is a peaceful, nonviolent demonstration, they could be smacked with a very heavy Federal penalty of up to 1 year prison for the first offense, 3 years in prison for the second and any subsequent offenses. Moreover, they will be hit with massive fines, criminal sanctions, of up to a quarter of a million dollars simply for either getting in the way or attempting to get in the way.”