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More Pro-Life Activists Sentenced For 2020 D.C. Abortion Clinic Protest

Seven pro-life activists were sentenced to federal prison terms on Tuesday and Wednesday for protesting in 2020 at the Washington Surgical Clinic in Washington, D.C., which is notorious for late-term abortions.

President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed charges against nine pro-life activists who participated in the protests under the Freedom of Admissions to Clinic Act (FACE) Act, which carries a maximum sentence of 11 years in prison. and was sentenced to a $350,000 fine. The activists were convicted in two separate trials in August and September 2023 and have been in prison ever since, awaiting sentencing.

FACE method”Forbidden “Threatening, obstructing, or damaging property by means of force with the intent to interfere with reproductive health care services,” whereas conspiracy to violate rights (punishable up to 10 years in prison) is “a crime in which two or more persons “It shall be unlawful for any person to commit any offense against a resident of the United States in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege guaranteed by the Constitution or laws of the United States, or for the exercise of any such right.” To intimidate. ” according to to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Related Article — Commentary: Justice Department uses KKK-era accusations to extend sentences of pro-life activists

On Tuesday, Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAAU) activist Lauren Handy, 30, was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison with credit for the nine months she already spent in prison.

On Tuesday, John Hinshaw, 69, was also sentenced to 21 months in prison, and William Goodman, 54, was sentenced to 27 months, both with credit for time served. according to to the Department of Justice.

On Wednesday, Jonathan Darnell, 42, a veteran of the Iraq war who served on two tours, was sentenced to 34 months in prison with time served. Herb Geraghty, a 27-year-old pro-life atheist, was sentenced to 27 months in prison with credit for time served.

Gene Marshall, 74, was sentenced to 24 months in prison, and Joan Bell, 76, was sentenced to 27 months in prison, according to the Department of Justice.

“At her sentencing, she presented a doctor’s note indicating that she needed a hip replacement due to extreme osteoporosis,” PAAU founder and former executive director Teresa Bukovinak wrote in a post on Marshal I mentioned about Mr. “Federal authorities believed the hip replacement was elective and wanted a harsher sentence.”

“Pro-life rescue icon Joan Andrews Bell was sentenced to 27 months in prison under FACE,” Bukovinac added. “Her family cried tears of joy that her sentence would not be longer. Joanne told the judge that she would not cooperate with the terms of her probation upon her release.”

Two other activists, Paulette Harlow, 75, and Heather Idoni, 62, are scheduled to be sentenced later this month. Idoni is also scheduled to be sentenced in July on other FACE Act charges related to protests at another abortion clinic in Tennessee, the Justice Department said. A tenth activist, Jay Smith, was sentenced to 10 months in prison in March 2023.

Prosecutors argued that activists organized a blockade and barricaded abortion clinics with chains and locks. In the process, prosecutors argued, a nurse was injured and the woman was unable to enter the clinic through the front door.

“Some people are simply kneeling in prayer at the Sant’Angelo facility, others are distributing pro-life literature and counseling women considering abortion, and others are tied up with ropes and chains inside the facility. Mr. Handy’s attorney at the Thomas More Society, which represents other groups, said. pro-life activists like Mark Hock and David Daleiden;

The Justice Department’s charges come the same month that Mr. Handy and Mr. Bukovinak allegedly discovered the remains of approximately 115 aborted infants in a garbage bin at a Washington surgical clinic, five of them in violation of federal law. They say the baby may have been partially aborted or killed after birth. . The District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department previously told Breitbart News that it is investigating the discovery of the infant, but not the clinic’s abortionist, Dr. Cesare Santangelo.

RELATED: Washington, D.C. inspector general halts planned disposition of late-term aborted babies after pressure campaign

U.S. District Judge Colleen Koller Kotelly, who presided over the trial, barred Handy’s lawyers from using the sting video released in 2013. published In the live-action film, Santangelo is allegedly recorded saying that he would not help a baby who was born alive after a failed abortion. Handy’s lawyer argued that the video was “essential to understanding Lauren’s motives on that day in October 2020.” Koller Coterie also did not allow video and photographic evidence of 115 aborted babies to be used as evidence in the trial. Ban Defendants could not argue that their actions were protected by the First Amendment or were done to protect a third party, the unborn child.

During her sentencing, Koller-Kotely reportedly said that the actions of Handy and other activists showed indifference to women seeking abortions and that abortion was a “human need.”[s]”

“Neither you nor the other co-conspirators showed any sympathy or empathy for the two women in need of medical care,” Koller-Kotely said. Said. “Frankly, your opinion took precedence over their human needs.”

Darnell said during sentencing that he was “proud of the courage” of his co-defendants. according to Go to live-action news.

“I maintain that abortion is highly immoral and illegal. As a captain I took an oath to obey orders and as a Christian to love my neighbor, and I hope that in some way I can accomplish both.” ” he said.

Since the Supreme Court dobbs This decision resulted in the Justice Department prosecuting pro-life activists more than pro-abortion activists under the FACE Act, even though FBI Director Christopher Wray served as FBI director. Admitted As of November 2022, approximately 70% of abortion-related violence threats in the United States dobbs This decision was against pro-life organizations.

Deputy Attorney General Vanita Gupta also Admitted In December, in remarks at a ceremony commemorating the 65th anniversary of the founding of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, Roe vs. Wade It increased the “urgency” of the Department of Justice’s efforts, including “enforcement of the FACE Act to ensure continued lawful access to reproductive services.”

out of dozens and dozens Number of subsequent attacks on pregnancy centers Dobbs According to the leak, only a handful of pro-abortion activists have been arrested in states such as Florida, New York and Ohio.

When asked by Republicans in March 2023 about apparent enforcement inconsistencies, Merrick Garland said that pro-abortion activists tend to strike at night, while pro-life activists commit crimes “during the day.” He claimed that more pro-life activists are being prosecuted for committing crimes.

Pro-life activists and some Republican lawmakers are calling for the repeal of the FACE Act, arguing that the Biden administration has repeatedly used the 1994 law as a weapon against political opponents.

Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her at @thekat_Hamilton.

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