The shooting of two abortionists provided the political cover for an insidious attempt to silence all but the bravest pro-lifers.

With so many abortion-rights activists in the Clinton administration, it should be no surprise that the United States government has turned up the heat against the pro-life movement. The recently enacted Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act of 1994 may force all but the most courageous to keep their pro-life opinions to themselves, raising serious questions about this administration's regard for the First Amendment.

On the surface, FACE looks good. It is being sold as an effort to control the most outrageous acts committed in the name of the pro-life movement. Yet this plainly is not the act's primary purpose, and it certainly will not be its sole effect. With rare exceptions, states were already adequately prosecuting crimes committed against abortionists. Furthermore, the act itself is not limited to such extreme cases. The shooting of abortionists in Florida and Kansas provided the necessary political cover for a far more ambitious project to silence by intimidation all but the bravest in the pro-life movement.

Supporters of FACE will respond that it has nothing to do with free speech—that it targets only the more extreme and violent tactics used by some elements of the pro-life movement. Yet the wording of the new statute (despite some improvement over earlier versions) permits its application to a broad array of situations far removed from its alleged focus.

FACE promises severe criminal penalties and civil liability judgments against anyone who (by force, threat of force, or physical obstruction) "intentionally injures, intimidates, or interferes" with someone obtaining or ...