A federal appeals court delivered a significant victory Thursday for pro-life pregnancy centers and for equal enforcement of federal law, rejecting a convicted activist’s attempt to avoid accountability for vandalizing crisis-pregnancy centers with threatening, pro-abortion messages.
The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the conviction of Gabriella Oropesa, who conspired with other extremists to spray-paint two Florida pregnancy resource centers in 2022 with intimidation-style messages, including “if abortions aren’t SAFE then niether [sic] are you.” The attacks occurred in May and July of that year, during the nationwide wave of pro-abortion violence following the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
Officials from the Department of Justice celebrated the ruling as an important milestone in holding those responsible for anti–pro-life attacks accountable. Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Jesus Osete wrote on X that the Civil Rights Division had secured “a huge win in the Eleventh Circuit,” adding, “Justice has been served for these crisis-pregnancy centers that were vandalized after Dobbs.”
Oropesa had argued that her actions did not constitute a “conspiracy against rights” under Section 241, claiming the law could not apply to violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act — a federal statute that protects access to both pro-life pregnancy centers and abortion facilities. The three-judge panel soundly rejected that argument.
“We therefore hold that conspiracy to violate the FACE Act falls squarely within Section 241’s prohibition against conspiracies to violate a ‘right’ secured by the ‘laws of the United States,’” the court wrote, making clear that targeting pregnancy centers with threats is a federal crime.
Oropesa was sentenced to 120 days in prison along with three years of supervised release. She has already served her time and was released in August. In addition to the criminal conviction, she resolved a civil case brought by former Republican Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody in July 2024, agreeing to pay $13,000 in fines and to remain at least 100 feet away from the targeted centers.
The ruling comes after widespread frustration in 2022, when the Biden-Harris Justice Department claimed it was seeking the identities of vandals who attacked pro-life centers with graffiti, threats, and even arson — yet made little progress. Instead, federal prosecutors overwhelmingly pursued FACE Act cases against pro-life activists protesting abortion clinics, drawing criticism for selective enforcement.
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon, appointed under President Donald Trump, has pledged that the department will apply the law fairly and protect pro-life facilities from politically motivated attacks.
The 11th Circuit’s decision not only affirms Oropesa’s conviction but also strengthens the legal framework for prosecuting future conspiracies targeting pro-life organizations — a long-awaited step toward restoring equal protection under the law.
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