U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly on Tuesday sentenced a pro-life activist to 57 months in prison and three years of supervised release for her participation in a peaceful pro-life protest at an abortion facility most controversial of the capital.
Lauren Handy, 30, was one of several members of the Progressive anti-abortion uprising (PAAU), a predominantly left-wing organization with a pro-life streak, which launched a “rescue and protest” at abortionist Cesare Santangelo's facility in Washington, DC, in October 2020.
“Some simply knelt and prayed at Santangelo's facility, some handed out pro-life literature and counseled women seeking abortions, and others shackled and shackled themselves inside the premises,” Handy's lawyers told the Thomas More Society. pointed out.
Handy, PAAU's Director of Activism and Mutual Aid, decided to protest at Santangelo's facilities in particular after hearing him secretly acknowledge. video that it “wouldn't help” a baby born alive after a failed abortion.
“My belief that was formed after watching the video was that if the fetus survived the abortion attempt, it was allowed to die,” Handy said. he told the court during the testimony of the witnesses.
Handy was also among those who recovered a box of five dead premature babies outside the Santagelo facility. The discovery of the “DC Five” should have sparked an investigation in Santangelo's possibly illegal abortion methods. Instead, it put Handy at risk for more control of the forces of order i Pro-abortion Democrats.
Nearly two years after the October protest, Biden's DOJ indicted Handy and nine pro-lifers for allegedly violating the Unconstitutional law of freedom of access to clinic entrances (FACE). and engage in a Conspiracy against Rights. The defendants face up to 11 years in federal prison, an extreme extension of the time of punishment other pro-lifers were treated.
A federal jury in Washington, DC, convicted Handy of both charges in August 2023. Handy's attorneys “asked the Court to show leniency with a sentence of 12 months, which is effectively the equivalent of time served,” and noted his “deep commitment to non-violence”. , history of humanitarian work and dedication to the service of society's marginalized”, but in vain.
So far, Handy's fellow protester, Jay Smith, who took a deal, is the only defendant in this case so far to escape sentence with less than a year in prison. Handy's attorneys say they plan to appeal his conviction and sentence.
At least one Republican lawmaker has also called for action against the law by the Democratic administration.
“Today's outrageous 57-month sentence for a progressive pro-life activist is a stark reminder: Biden's DOJ is fully armed against pro-life American citizens, and they're using the FACE Act to do it Rep. Chip Roy said in a statement. “House Republicans should defund the DOJ's weaponry, repeal the FACE Act, and defend the freedoms we campaign for.”
President Joe Biden's Justice Department has turned a blind eye to the crimes of thousands of men, women and confused adults who have spent most of a year blocking traffic, desecrating monuments (including a federal monument designed to honor members of the US military) and occupying college campuses. However, when it comes to pro-life speakers, they have not held back.
Like Roy noted earlierBiden's DOJ charged dozens of pro-life Americans, including a father of 11 children — with violations of the FACE Act to pray, worship and peacefully oppose abortion, but has repeatedly failed to bring the hammer down on Democrats and pro-abortion violators.
Jordan Boyd is a writer for The Federalist and co-producer of The Federalist Radio Hour. His work has also appeared on The Daily Wire, Fox News, and RealClearPolitics. Jordan graduated from Baylor University, where he majored in political science and journalism. Follow her on Twitter @jordanboydtx.
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