TOLEDO, OH – Whitney Durant, also known as Soren Monroe, a 20-year-old from Worthington, Ohio, has been sentenced to two years of probation and fined $2,000 for damaging a reproductive health services clinic. The sentencing was carried out by Magistrate Judge Darrell A. Clay after Durant pled guilty to a violation of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act).
The incident occurred on April 15, 2023, at the HerChoice clinic in Bowling Green, Ohio, which provides pregnancy counseling and testing but does not offer abortion services. Court documents reveal that Durant, a student at Bowling Green State University at the time, spray-painted messages such as “LIARS,” “FAKE CLINIC,” and “Fund Abortion” on the building.
U.S. Attorney Rebecca C. Lutzko emphasized the commitment of the Northern District of Ohio to enforcing laws that protect access to all forms of reproductive health care. She stated that while peaceful protest is protected by the First Amendment, acts of vandalism such as this cannot be tolerated.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Greg Nelsen reiterated the FBI’s role in upholding the FACE Act, ensuring that everyone has access to necessary reproductive health services without interference or intimidation. The case was investigated by the FBI’s Cleveland Field Office and the Bowling Green Police Department, with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Angelita Cruz Bridges and Wood County Prosecutor and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Dobson.