The Thomas More Society petitions President-elect Trump to pardon 21 pro-life activists convicted by the Biden administration under the FACE Act. The group argues the convictions were unjust and politically motivated, contrasting the prosecution with the alleged inaction against attacks on pro-life organizations.
A conservative law firm, the Thomas More Society , is urging President-elect Donald Trump to extend pardons to 21 pro-life activists who faced prosecution under the Biden administration. These activists were charged with violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act) and conspiracy against rights for demonstrating at abortion facilities.
The FACE Act, enacted in 1994, criminalizes the use of threats, obstruction, or property damage intended to interfere with reproductive health care services. The Justice Department under President Biden has aggressively employed this law to prosecute pro-life activists following the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022. The Thomas More Society's petition highlights the convictions of individuals like Joan Bell, Coleman Boyd, Joel Curry, Jonathan Darnel, Eva Edl, Chester Gallagher, William Goodman, Dennis Green, Lauren Handy, Paulette Harlow, John Hinshaw, Heather Idoni, Jean Marshall, Fr. Fidelis Moscinski, Justin Phillips, Paul Place, Paul Vaughn, Bevelyn Beatty Williams, Calvin Zastrow, Eva Zastrow, and James Zastrow. The petition argues that these peaceful pro-life Americans, including grandparents, pastors, a Holocaust survivor, and a Catholic priest, were unjustly targeted by the Biden administration. It contrasts their prosecution with the alleged inaction against the vandalism and firebombing of hundreds of pro-life churches and pregnancy centers. The letter claims that the protesters' actions typically warrant minor misdemeanor convictions and that Biden's prosecution amounted to branding them as 'convicted felons' and imprisoning them for years. Ten defendants received prison sentences ranging from 10 months to 57 months for their involvement in a 2020 blockade of an abortion clinic in Washington, D.C. Paulette Harlow, 75, was sentenced to 2 years, while Lauren Handy, 30, received nearly five years. The Thomas More Society attorneys presented legal arguments supporting the flawed nature of the protesters' convictions, along with 21 individual pardon requests outlining each person's circumstances and plea for clemency. They urge President Trump to rectify the alleged injustices committed by the Biden administration. Trump has previously criticized the Biden administration's prosecution of these pro-life protesters, suggesting he would consider pardons. At the Pray Vote Stand Summit in September 2023, he stated his intention to appoint a special task force to review the cases of political prisoners unjustly persecuted by the Biden administration upon winning the election. In 2024, he raised the issue again at the Faith and Freedom Coalition, specifically mentioning Paulette Harlow's case
Donald Trump Biden Administration Pro-Life Activists FACE Act Pardons Thomas More Society
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