An eighth pro-life activist was convicted Wednesday under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE) and a “conspiracy against rights” following October 2020 protests against abortion clinics in Washington, DC.
Heather Idoni, 59, was sentenced to 24 months in prison, including the nine months she has already served since her August 2023 conviction, the Department of Justice announced. Announced.
Last week, seven other pro-life activists were sentenced to several years in federal prison for protesting at the Washington Surgical Clinic in Washington, D.C., a clinic notorious for late-term abortions. Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAAU) activist Lauren Handy, 30, was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison, with credit for nine months she had already served. John Hinshaw, 69, was sentenced to 21 months in prison and William Goodman, 54, was sentenced to 27 months, with time served credited for both. According to the Department of Justice:
9. Heather Idoni pic.twitter.com/vq0KWJbKXo
— SBA Pro-Life America (@sbaprolife) May 14, 2024
Last Wednesday, Jonathan Darnell, 42, a two-time Iraq War veteran, was sentenced to 34 months in prison, with credit for time served. Herb Geraghty, 27, a pro-life atheist, was sentenced to 27 months in prison, with credit for time served. Jean 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.
Another activist, Paulette Harlow, 75, is scheduled to be sentenced in late May. Idoni is scheduled to be sentenced in July on FACE Act charges related to another abortion clinic protest in Tennessee, according to the Department of Justice. A 10th activist, Jay Smith, was sentenced to 10 months in prison in March 2023.
Last week, House Republicans letter It has expressed concerns to the U.S. Marshals Service and the Federal Bureau of Prisons about reports that Marshall and Idoni were mistreated in prison while awaiting sentencing.
RELATED: Republicans express concern over alleged abuse of incarcerated elderly pro-life activist
President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice (DOJ) charged pro-life activists with conspiracy against rights and violating the Free Access at Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act in response to the protests in March 2022, carrying penalties of up to 11 years in prison and a $350,000 fine. Nine activists, excluding Smith, were convicted in two separate trials. August and September They were arrested in 2023 and immediately taken to prison to await sentencing.
FACE methodprohibit “Threats of violence, obstruction, or damage to property with intent to interfere with reproductive health services” are illegal, and the crime of conspiracy against rights (which carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years) makes it unlawful for “two or more persons to agree to injure, threaten, or intimidate any person in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege guaranteed by the Constitution or the laws of the United States, or because of the exercise of such a right.” According to the Department of Justice (Department of Justice).
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Prosecutors alleged that activists blocked the abortion clinic, barricading it with chains and locks, injuring a nurse in the process and preventing women from entering the clinic through the main entrance.
“Some people knelt in prayer at the Santangelo facility, some distributed pro-life literature and counseled women considering abortions, and some were chained or tied to ropes inside the facility,” said the Handys’ lawyers, who are with the Thomas More Society, which also represents other pro-life activists. Mark Hack and David Daleiden.
The Justice Department’s charges allege that Handy and PAAU founder and former executive director Teresa Bukovinac discovered The Washington Surgical Clinic’s waste bin contains the remains of about 115 aborted babies. Five Some of the fetuses may have been aborted or killed after birth in violation of federal law. The District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department previously told Breitbart News that it was investigating the discovery of the babies but was not investigating the clinic’s abortion doctor, Dr. Cesare Santangelo.
RELATED: DC inspector general halts plan to dispose of late-term aborted babies after pressure campaign
Supreme Court Dobbs decisionThe Department of Justice has prosecuted more pro-life activists than pro-abortion activists under the FACE Act, despite an investigation by FBI Director Christopher Wray. admit In November 2022, roughly 70% of abortion-related violence threats in the United States will be Dobbs He has opposed pro-life organizations.
Vanita Gupta, Attorney General Hospitalized At the 65th anniversary ceremony of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division in December, Roe v. Wade He emphasized the “urgency” of the Department of Justice’s efforts, including “enforcing the FACE Act to ensure continued lawful access to reproductive services.”
Deputy Attorney General nominee Vanita Gupta speaks during an event at The Queen Theatre in Wilmington, Delaware. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Outside Dozens Attacks on pregnancy centers Dobbs Only a handful of pro-abortion activists have been arrested since the leak, including Florida, new yorkand Ohio.
When questioned by Republicans about this apparent enforcement discrepancy in March 2023, Attorney General Merrick Garland said: Claimed Pro-life activists are often prosecuted for crimes committed during “daylight” hours, while pro-abortion activists tend to strike at night.
Some pro-life activists and Republicans call The Biden administration has called for the repeal of the FACE Act, arguing that the 1994 law has repeatedly been used as a weapon against political opponents.
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X. Follow.
