A pro-life activist is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene take up his case after being arrested for peacefully praying outside an abortion clinic.
Matthew Connolly, a pro-life monk, was arrested along with five other individuals on April 23, 2022, in Southfield, Michigan. The group was in the common area of an office building housing Northland Family Planning Center, an abortion clinic.
Connolly never entered the facility, but was arrested for praying in the common area 500 feet down the hall. According to a July 2025 petition, officers at the scene described his actions as “peaceful,” and Connolly carried nothing but a rosary.
Despite this, Connolly was charged with 3 counts of misdemeanors, including interference with a business and a vague ordinance criminalizing “annoyance” in a public space. He was fined and sentenced to 90 days in jail after refusing a probation condition which would have prevented him from engaging in pro-life speech within 500 feet of any nationwide abortion facility.
Had Connolly accepted his probation, Advocates for Faith & Freedom claims he would have been barred from “seeking routine medical care at any hospital that provides abortions, an impossible condition for any citizen.”
Advocates for Faith and Freedom Attorney Erin Mersino, who is helping represent Connolly, stated,
This case is not just about Mr. Connolly. It is about whether the government can silence pro-life Americans and criminalize public prayer.
If prayer can be prosecuted, preaching can be banned. Silence now will only embolden government suppression of faith-based expression.
We are asking the United States Supreme Court to do what the Constitution already demands — protect the right of Americans, especially those who advocate for the sanctity of life, to speak freely, assemble peacefully, and pray publicly.
While Connolly’s arrest for peaceful prayer was unwarranted, this was not his first encounter with the law. His record includes at least eight arrests and four convictions across multiple states.
One such incident occurred in March 2023, when Connolly participated in a pro-life Red Rose Rescue event outside the Southfield abortion clinic in Michigan. Six people went limp as police attempted to transport then to police cars, and four (including Connolly) served time in Oakland County Jail. Of these four, Conolly and one other were convicted of trespassing, resisting arrest and engaging in disorderly conduct.
On a separate occasion in August 2021, also involving the Red Rose Rescue group, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Connolly for violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act at a Philadelphia Planned Parenthood location.
Connolly allegedly barricaded himself in a patient-only bathroom for over three hours, ultimately resulting in the facility’s evacuation, a SWAT team response, and the rescheduling of at least 44 appointments. Prosecutors claimed Connolly was “engaged in conduct calculated to shut down a reproductive health clinic for an entire day.”
Matthew Connolly’s consistent and courageous witness to the value of preborn life deserves praise and commendation. Let us hope the Supreme Court will take up Connolly’s case and uphold all Americans’ First Amendment right to pray peacefully in public.
Related Articles and Resources
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A pro-life activist is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene take
up his case after being arrested for peacefully praying outside an abortion
clinic. Matthew Connolly, a pro-life monk, was
arrested along with 5 other individuals on April 23, 2022, in Southfield,
Michigan. The group was in the common area of an office building housing
Northland Family Planning Center, an abortion clinic. Connolly never entered the facility,
but was arrested for praying in the common area 500 feet down the hall. According
to a July 2025 petition, officers at the scene described his
actions as “peaceful,” and Connolly carried nothing but a rosary. Despite this, Connolly was charged
with 3 counts of misdemeanors, including interference with a business and a
vague ordinance criminalizing “annoyance” in a public space. He was fined and
sentenced to 90 days in jail after refusing a probation condition which would
have prevented him from engaging in pro-life speech within 500 feet of any
nationwide abortion facility. Had Connolly accepted his probation, Advocates
for Faith & Freedom
claims he would have been barred from “seeking routine medical care at any
hospital that provides abortions, an impossible condition for any citizen.” Advocates for Faith & Freedom
Attorney Erin Mersino, who is helping represent Connolly, stated, This
case is not just about Mr. Connolly. It is about whether the government can
silence pro-life Americans and criminalize public prayer. If
prayer can be prosecuted, preaching can be banned. Silence now will only
embolden government suppression of faith-based expression. We
are asking the United States Supreme Court to do what the Constitution already
demands — protect the right of Americans, especially those who advocate for the
sanctity of life, to speak freely, assemble peacefully, and pray publicly. While Connolly’s arrest for peaceful
prayer was unwarranted, this was not his first encounter with the law. His
record includes at least eight arrests and four convictions across multiple
states. One such incident occurred in March 2023, when Connolly
participated in a pro-life Red Rose Rescue event outside the Southfield
abortion clinic in Michigan. Six people went limp as police attempted to
transport then to police cars, and four (including Connolly) served time in
Oakland County Jail. Of these four, Conolly and one other were convicted of
trespassing, resisting arrest and engaging in disorderly conduct. On a separate occasion in August 2021,
also involving the Red Rose Rescue group, the U.S. Department of Justice filed
a lawsuit against Connolly for violating the
Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act at a Philadelphia Planned
Parenthood location. Connolly allegedly barricaded himself
in a patient-only bathroom for over three hours, ultimately resulting in the
facility’s evacuation, a SWAT team response, and the rescheduling of at least
44 appointments. Prosecutors claimed Connolly was “engaged in conduct
calculated to shut down a reproductive health clinic for an entire day.” Matthew Connolly’s consistent and
courageous witness to the value of preborn life deserves praise and
commendation. Let us hope the Supreme Court will take up Connolly’s case and uphold
all Americans’ First Amendment right to pray peacefully in public. Related Articles and Resources Pro-Life Ohio Man Sues for Unfair
Arrest Outside Abortion Clinic New Poll: More Americans are Pro-Life,
Think Abortion is ‘Morally Wrong’ Federal Judge Orders Trump
Administration to Keep Funding Planned Parenthood Pro-life, Free Speech Win: Federal
Appeals Court Blocks Kentucky ‘Buffer Zone’ Ordinance Police Pay Christian Woman Arrested
for Praying Outside UK Abortion Clinic Arkansas Allocates $2 Million to
Pregnancy Help Organizations
