COLUMBIA — A West Columbia man faces up to six months in prison after he was convicted in federal court of blocking access to a local abortion clinic.
It is the first successful conviction of its kind in the state.
Steven Clark Lefemine, 68, was found guilty March 11 of violating the 1994 federal Freedom of Access to a Clinic Entrances following a bench trial in front of U.S. District Judge Joseph Anderson.
The FACE Act provides criminal penalties for blocking access to any facility that provides reproductive health care services, including abortions, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for South Carolina.
Enforcement of the law has not been successfully prosecuted in South Carolina in a previous attempt, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
According to evidence presented during the trial, on Nov. 15, 2022, Lefemine sat in front of the entrance to Planned Parenthood South Atlantic in Columbia and blocked doorway access. Testimony provided by employees of the clinic said they were familiar with Lefemine for his frequent protests there.
The clinic provides multiple reproductive services, including birth control, mental health counseling, pregnancy testing and planning, prenatal and postpartum services, as well as abortion.
Staff recorded the event.
Lefemine acted as his own attorney during the trial and, according to his testimony, he admitted blocking the doors to the clinic to prevent them from performing abortions, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Lefemine has been a constant presence in the Statehouse in recent years, often standing in the lower lobby with large signs with graphic images of fetuses. He also sent a daily stream of emails to reporters trumpeting his hardline anti-abortion stance or other right-wing causes, often veering into conspiracy.
But this session he has rarely been seen around the Statehouse, and the stream of emails has stopped. In the 2000s, Lefemine unsuccessfully ran several times for Congress, often on the Constitution Party line.
The FACE Act prohibits anyone from using force, threats of force or physical obstruction against any person seeking or providing reproductive health services, the Justice Department reports.
“We will protect South Carolinians’ right to peacefully protest, but we will also protect their right to access health care facilities,” Adair F. Boroughs, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina, said after the conviction. “Lefemine’s protest became unlawful when he physically prevented patients from entering Planned Parenthood.”
Sentencing will come later following the collection of a pre-sentencing report. Lefemine additionally faces a fine of up to $10,000.
Alexander Thompson contributed to this report.
