Orrin Hatch: “I would like to state my reasons for opposing S. 636 in its final form. S. 636 targets peaceful civil disobedience, not…”

“I would like to state my reasons for opposing S. 636 in its final form. S. 636 targets peaceful civil disobedience, not violence. Like millions and millions of other Americans opposed to abortion, I categorically and unequivocally condemn acts of violence against abortion clinics and their personnel. Such desperate acts of violence are no answer to the violence of abortion itself. Unfortunately, S. 636--the so-called FACE bill--is not really about stopping violence outside abortion clinics. It is about punishing purely peaceful civil disobedience on behalf of a cause that is not politically correct. My proof for these two propositions is simple and irrefutable. On the Senate floor, I offered a substitute amendment to S. 636 that contained the same harsh penalties for violence as S. 636 contains, but that would have subjected purely peaceful pro-life civil disobedience to penalties comparable to civil disobedience on behalf of other causes. Senator Smith offered an amendment to the same effect. Both amendments were defeated.”