Father Fidelis Moscinski was found guilty of a federal FACE violation for an alleged “lock and block” rescue at a Planned Parenthood abortion facility in Hempstead, NY on July 7, 2022. According to court testimony, during the one-man rescue action Father Fidelis placed multiple locks on the gate leading into the only entrance of the Planned Parenthood facility. Once the locks were cut off by the local fire department, Father Fidelis physically lay in the driveway obstructing cars before being taken into custody by local police.
An interview Father Fidelis recorded for EWTN’s show Pro-Life Weekly was played in court as evidence of his intent to block access, however the defense argued the interview proved his intent was to help parents considering abortion not to disrupt staff or services.
The defense argued that, because the rescue resulted in only a 10 minute traffic obstruction, it should be treated as a local misdemeanor and should not be prosecution, noting that there were no complaints from patients entering Planned Parenthood that day.
Good to know NYC has their priorities on point