Rep. Brandon Gill, a Texas Republican, questioned American University law professor Jessica L. Waters about abortion procedures during a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing focused on enforcement of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.
A tense exchange unfolded during a hearing of the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government as lawmakers debated how the federal government has enforced the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.
During questioning, Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) asked witness Jessica L. Waters—identified in congressional materials as a professor at American University whose research focuses on reproductive rights law and policy—about her “favorite” type of abortion. In response, Waters did not choose a procedure and instead emphasized access to reproductive health care and repeatedly sought to steer the discussion back to the FACE Act, according to video clips and accounts of the hearing.
The hearing was titled “From Tool to Weapon: The FACE Act and the Dangers of Federalizing Criminal Law,” according to publicly posted hearing materials.
Conservative outlets covering the hearing framed Gill’s questioning as an effort to highlight what he described as the nature of abortion procedures, while Waters’ prepared written testimony focused on the FACE Act’s history and legal scope, including its distinction between protected speech such as peaceful protest and unlawful conduct such as force, threats, or physical obstruction.
