Life Lines 52

This week: a DOJ report on FACE Act enforcement, foster care policy developments at HHS, reactions to a Dutch euthanasia case, the Truth About Choice exhibit at UMass Amherst, and other pro-life news and MCFL updates.

Release date: April 17, 2026

DOJ releases report on abuse of FACE Act affecting pro-life Americans

A new Department of Justice report released by the DOJ’s Weaponization Working Group examines enforcement of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act during the Biden Administration and raises concerns about its impact on pro-life Americans.

Federal government pays settlement to Mark Houck after FACE Act-related case

The federal government has reached a settlement of more than $1 million with father of seven and pro-life activist Mark Houck following litigation tied to a FACE Act-related case.

Kennedy says proposed change will expand foster care family eligibility

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said during a Ways and Means Committee hearing on April 16, 2026, that a proposed policy change will expand eligibility for foster care families by removing what he described as religious barriers.

Dutch teen euthanized raises concerns over assisted death expansion

A reported case in the Netherlands involving the euthanasia of a teenager diagnosed with autism is raising renewed concerns over the expansion of assisted dying for psychiatric conditions.

MCFL Life Lines celebrates one year of consistent publication

On April 4, 2025, we published the first edition of Life Lines, a project initiated by President Myrna Maloney Flynn after several previous attempts to establish a consistent digital newsletter for our supporters.

Calls to ban boiling lobsters alive fuel wider debate over abortion and fetal pain

A study calling for a ban on boiling lobsters alive in the UK has sparked renewed debate over how society defines pain, sentience, and the consistency of ethical standards applied to different forms of life.

“Truth About Choice” exhibit engages students at UMass Amherst

On Sunday, April 12, we brought the Truth About Choice exhibit to the University of Massachusetts Amherst Student Union South Lawn, where thousands of fetal models were arranged to represent the 49,450 lives lost to abortion in Massachusetts in a single year.

PRC Volunteer Day set for Boston on April 25

Massachusetts Citizens for Life Young Adults have announced a volunteer opportunity for young adults at the Boston Center for Pregnancy Choices in Boston on Saturday, April 25, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.