Soren's Legal Fees

Hello, this is Soren's mom and I am fundraising for Soren's legal fees that I will need to pay. They have been arraigned in federal court for allegedly violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. Soren is accused of spray painting pro-choice messages on the deceptive anti-abortion crisis pregnancy center "HerChoice" located in Bowling Green, Ohio back in April. The FACE Act was passed in 1994 to protect abortion clinics from violent attacks from anti-choicers but, since the overturning of Roe V. Wade, it has been grossly misused against reproductive rights activists across the country such as with the Florida 4 (more info on the FACE Act and Florida 4 case are linked below).

We are grateful this is only a misdemeanor charge, however, it carries a maximum sentence of 6 months in prison and a $10,000 fine. Additionally, this only comes after the FBI harassed and intimidated Soren for hours while raiding their dorm and the FBI worked directly with anti-choice president of Falcons for Life Morgan Reece (which she explicitly admitted in her Instagram story and it was also stated in the affidavit for the search warrant of Soren's dorm in April). It's unclear if she received a reward from the FBI for her accusations but it is possible *see Intercept article linked below*. During the search warrant, all of Soren's devices were confiscated and their dorm was destroyed to the point of being unlivable for several days. A small amount of alcohol was found which resulted in an alcohol possession charge and $500 fine (keep in mind, Soren should've qualified for a deferment program that would not have included any fine but was barred by the prosecutor because of the pending investigation into the alleged graffiti). The search warrant also occurred right before exam week which meant they had to receive incompletes for all classes and finish this summer. Soren also had to withdraw from the Spanish study abroad program they had been accepted to for the fall. Meanwhile, Morgan Reece has repeatedly reported Soren for harassment to the school for which they've been found not guilty.

When arraigned, bond conditions for Soren's release were set which includes:

"We are horrified by this unjust treatment of Soren and gross misuse of the FACE Act to target reproductive rights activists across the country. We stand in solidarity with these activists and those affected by these dangerous fake clinics." - public statement by Soren's friends.

The current total listed is an estimate of the total amount in legal fees we will have to pay and other costs incurred by this situation such as Columbus-Toledo travel costs for court, the alcohol possession fine, a new phone, and more.

More you can do:

We appreciate everyone who's already shown us so much support.