COLUMBIA, S.C. — A 68-year-old West Columbia man has been found guilty in federal court of being in violation of the Freedom of Access to a Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act after blocking the entrance to a women's clinic in Columbia, SC. The case is the first of its kind in ending in a conviction in South Carolina.
The US Justice Department says the FACE Act provides criminal penalties for blocking access to any facility that provides reproductive health care services, including abortions. Steven Clark Lefemine admitted to blocking the entrance to Planned Parenthood South Atlantic (PPSA) in Columbia on November 15, 2022. He said he did so to prevent the clinic from performing abortions.
Employees of PPSA testified in court that the clinic provides a wide range of reproductive services, including birth control, mental health counseling, pregnancy testing and planning, prenatal and postpartum services -- as well as abortion. PPSA staff also said in court that they were familiar with Lefemine because of his frequent protests at the clinic and that the incident in question was captured on an audio/video recording.
Adair F. Boroughs, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina, said, “We will protect South Carolinians’ right to peacefully protest, but we will also protect their right to access healthcare facilities. Lefemine’s protest became unlawful when he physically prevented patients from entering Planned Parenthood.”
Lefemine faces a maximum penalty of six months in federal prison, a fine of up to $10,000, and one year of supervision to follow the term of imprisonment.
United States District Judge Joseph A. Anderson will sentence Lefemine after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
