An elderly Massachusetts woman was recently sentenced to prison following a pro-life demonstration at an abortion clinic in 2020.
Paula “Paulette” Harlow, 75, of Kingston, was sentenced to two years in prison on May 31 for her involvement with pro-life activists who disrupted an abortion clinic in October 2020. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, Harlow and 10 other pro-life activists were charged with “civil rights conspiracy and violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act).”
“[The defendants] “The perpetrators forced their way into the clinic and began blocking two of the clinic’s doors using bodies, furniture, chains and ropes,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said in a statement. “Once the blockade was established, the perpetrators live-streamed their activities.
“As the evidence at trial showed, the defendants conspired to block reproductive health clinics, prevent the clinics from providing reproductive health services, and prevent patients from receiving services.”
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As the Department of Justice plans to jail an infirm 75-year-old man for his pro-life activism in 2020, Paulette and John Harlow are hoping for mercy. (Paulette Harlow)
Shutting down abortion clinics would violate the FACE Act, which was signed into law by President Clinton in 1994. In an interview with Fox News Digital, Harlow explained that she has been under house arrest for the past few weeks and will know soon if she needs to turn herself in to authorities.
Harlow said the 2020 incident happened at a clinic run by Dr. Cesare Santangelo, who is accused of performing late-term abortions. He said the protests were peaceful.
“We were there to risk our lives to intervene and peacefully intervene between the death of a child and the abortion doctor,” she said.[We were] “There are kids out there who are trying to talk to their mothers. … They feel compelled to do so, no matter what the circumstances. So we need to try to surround them with love and support.”
Harlow, a Catholic, explained that she became pro-life after seeing Lennart Nilsson’s photograph of an 18-week-old fetus in Life magazine in 1965.
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Paulette’s husband, John Harlow, called his wife’s prosecution “tragic.” Pictured left, the couple renew their wedding vows at Cana of Galilee. (Paulette Harlow)
“I saw the light [when] “I saw Nilsson’s photos in Life magazine,” she says. “These children have no voice, they’re hidden. This is the worst possible situation. They can’t even save their own lives.”
“We need to make their voices visible and heard.”
Paulette’s husband, John Harlow, told Fox News Digital he was heartbroken by the legal situation.
“It’s horrible what they’re doing – the trials and the sentences,” he said. “But my wife doesn’t want the attention. What she’s really upset about is the fact that her children are being aborted.”
“We’re all worried about her. I told the judge I would go to prison for her if I could. … But we’re in the same situation and I wish the outcome would have been different, but it is what it is.”
Harlow told Fox News Digital that her sister, Jean (left), is also incarcerated in the same case. (Paulette Harlow)
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Harlow, who has extensive health problems, worries that incarceration will make his health worse.
“I’m 76 and have a lot of health issues,” she said. “If I go to prison, I’ll be at a disadvantage because I won’t have access to what I have now, and I won’t have John, who always helps me.”
Paulette Harlow became pro-life after seeing Lennart Nilsson’s photograph of an 18-week-old fetus in Life magazine in 1965. (Paulette Harlow // Getty Images)
“There’s a lot of work to be done.”
Harlow told Fox News Digital that her sister, Jean, is also incarcerated in the same case.
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“I consider it an incredible honor,” she said, “and an incredible honor to be in court, and I was really, really grateful when I came out of court, because not everybody has the opportunity to do that. And it was wonderful.”
Paulette and John Harlow on a cruise in 2019. (Paulette Harlow)
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Fox News Digital reached out to the Department of Justice for comment, but the agency did not respond.
